Puppy Dog Tale

My dog has a pink tail. Not just a little bit pink, but pink-pink. Cotton candy pink. Baby girl pink.

Now, I wish I had someone to blame for this freakish (albeit cute) conundrum, but I don’t. I am the reason Annie has a pink tail. Believe it or not, I actually paid someone to do it. I think the cold weather must have sent my common sense into hibernation.

It was Saturday morning, and I was dropping off both dogs at the groomer. My daughter – who made excellent grades last semester – was deserving of a reward. And a couple of her classmates were coming for a sleepover, to work on a school project. I wanted to do something to make all the girls smile.

“Make Annie look extra girlie,” I told the groomer.

“How girlie?” she asked. I must have given her a confused look, because she said, “I can dye her tail pink if you’d like.”

No way! I thought. That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. Dying a dog’s tail pink? There’s no way I’m going to become one of those strange people who does weird things to their dogs. Next thing you know, I’ll be dressing her in a pink tutu and sunglasses. But even as my thoughts screamed in rebellion, I could hear my mouth saying, “Yes! That would be precious!”

Next thing you know, Annie was being hauled into the back room of the puppy salon for an extreme makeover. Poor thing never knew what hit her.

(Picture taken by my daughter.) 😉

She was a big hit at the sleepover. The five bucks I spent on that little project was more than worth the giggles and smiles that tail invoked. But still, I can’t help but feel a little silly. What will the neighbors think? Will she be shunned by the neighborhood dogs? I’ve decided that Annie can only be let out at night, until her dye-job fades in about four weeks.

But as I look at Annie, tongue hanging out, pink tail wagging, I realize once more that she totally trusts me. She doesn’t care that her tail is pink, or that I am responsible. She didn’t fight or growl at me or ignore me. She just loves me, she knows I will take care of her, and she’s good with whatever I want to do with her. She’s unaware of the greater purpose she is serving – to bring joy to her family. She simply trusts.

I suppose that’s how I should be with my Master. I need to trust Him, knowing that He will never hurt me. Sure, He may put me through some things that I don’t understand, but I can trust Him completely. After all, He has a greater purpose for my life than I could ever imagine. When I get anxious or angry and rebel against the things He brings my way, I make it harder for that purpose to be fulfilled, and I bring a whole lot of stress and misery on myself and the people around me.

The love God has for me far surpasses any emotional attachment I have to my pink-tailed puppy. Yet, I want my love for Him to mirror the total trust and devotion she feels toward me. I want to be able to bound into His arms without a thought for anything except that He is my Master, He loves me, and I know He will always take care of me.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight,” Proverbs 3:5 – 6.

One Response to Puppy Dog Tale

  1. January 16, 2010 #

    Those verses from Proverbs are among my favorites, Renae, and the reminder to trust God with all our hearts is always a timely one. By the way, the picture is not showing up for me, but I can just imagine… 🙂

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