Healed
From Animal Abuse & Running Away
Snickers was an abused runaway dog when he ran under our van in the middle of heavy traffic. Thankfully I stopped just in the knick of time.
I didn't want a dog, as we had a brand new house and 4 kids. In fact, that was my number #1 Rule ABSOLUTELY NO PETS! But I agreed that because it was the middle of winter and he was shivering, we would keep him one night.
The next day I called the shelter. Amazingly they were full and told me I could put an ad in the paper, and if no one claimed him in five days, he was mine. Still, I was determined, we're not keeping him!
I placed the ad. In the meantime, he jumped on my furniture, scooted his bottom across my brand new carpet, and tracked his muddy paw prints through my house. Day after day, I hoped that someone would call and claim this annoying dog. But no one did.
One day I even took him for a walk through town and I lost him 3 miles from my house. When I returned to the yard I told John, "Praise God, I finally got rid of that dog!" Not more than 15 minutes later, he came traipsing into the yard with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
After that he followed me everywhere. If I was writing, he sat under my desk, if I was cooking he sat by the kitchen doorway, if I went to the bathroom, he sat at my feet, and he even worked his way into my bed.
By the fifth day I, like my kids and hubby, was madly and hopelessly in love with this cute little pooch.
When we got home from church on that 5th and final day there was a message on our machine, "I think you have my dog." My heart sank--"No, it can't be!" First I wanted to get rid of him any way I could, now I felt like I couldn't part with him.
I had no idea what God would do or was doing then. But today, thanks
to his miraculous intervention, we were allowed to adopt Snickers, our
award-winning story "New Home" was published in Chicken Soup for the Dog
Lover's Soul, he's now a Certified Pet Therapy Dog, and we share our
story of abuse, healing, and freedom at various schools, churches, and
other organizations. Snickers also performs a number of tricks to the
theme of how to get safe in a abusive, bullying, or violent situation.
And he just won Mayor of the Shiawassee Humane Society after raising
over $5,000 in cash/which also counted as votes!
Snickers and I haven't stopped Running--we're just running in a new direction--to life--the free life in Christ! More