"A New Puppy" - by Rev. Weldon Bares

I had forgotten what it was like to have a puppy. But now, it’s game on.

I am almost two weeks into it, an 11-week-old Italian Spinone. Her name is Lucy, and she is in a long line of Beatle-named dogs I’ve had: Abbey (Abbey Road), Ellie (Eleanor Rigby), Sarge (Sgt. Pepper), and Max (Maxwell’s Silver Hammer).

Lucy is a good girl, or she will be. But she’s just not 100 percent there yet. Or 75 percent. She is starting to learn the daily routine, slowly but surely. We are going to do some training before too long, so that will help both Lucy and me to turn the corner.

In the meantime, she has turned my house upside down. She owns the place. As I am working on my laptop right now, she is pulling at the AC cord. I had forgotten how sharp puppy teeth are, especially on the ankles. She plays really hard for about an hour and then she conks out.

Lucy doesn’t like being put up for bed, but she sure is excited to see me early in the morning. I might be imagining things, but I think she is excited to see me every time I walk into the room.

I’m trying to focus on the positive. Somebody said online, “Petting a dog or cat lowers stress hormone levels, lowers blood pressure, raises the good cholesterol levels (HDL), boosts the immune system, and reduces inflammation.”

I believe that God created dogs and cats for a special purpose. God put them here for a reason. Dog and cat owners understand this.

But for now, I had forgotten what it was like to have a puppy. So, it’s game on.