IS THIS THE DOG FOR ME, GOD?

Suz was lonely. She had just moved to Southern Washington, and loved her job, but until that time, she had no friends. She stopped at the Humane Society in Long Beach to meet the dogs. A brown lab caught her eye, and she spent some time with her. She heard about the dog’s history and fell in love with her. The dog had been neglected and taken away from a family. She wasn’t available for adoption just yet because the shelter wanted her to be totally healthy before they let her go.

For a week Suz went to visit the dog and played ball with her. Then one day when she arrived the dog wasn’t there! The shelter said they had to let her go to a good cause. A trainer had come looking for dogs that could be trained with balls, for sniffing out drugs. The brown lab had shown an immediate interest in the balls. That is what the trainer was looking for. The dog would be trained to search for smaller and smaller balls, and then rewarded for finding certain scents. She was chosen to become a working dog.

Suz was devastated! She had prayed for the right dog for herself, and felt God had pointed to this dog! She called me, and together, on the phone, we talked to God. I reminded God that Suz had prayed, and felt God had pointed out that dog to her. She had already been visiting the dog and playing ball with her every day after work. She really felt that it was the dog God had for her. We asked God to bring the dog back to Suz, if that really was the dog for her.

A few months went past, and since Suz was coming down to visit me in December, I looked for puppies that would be eight weeks old when Suz visited. A yellow lab would be a perfect Christmas gift for Suz, and could fly back to Washington with her. I found one and put $200 down to hold the puppy. Then Suz got a call from the Humane Society, asking if she still wanted the brown lab. It had failed the test to become a drug dog. When the balls were too small, she had lost interest in finding them. If Suz still wanted the dog, she could come to get her!

Suz hurried to the Humane Society and picked up her dog. She named her Moki, and brought her home. While driving home, Moki layed her head on Suz’s leg, and sighed a big sigh. In that moment, they were forever bonded!

To compensate to Moki that Suz had to work eight hours a day, and that Moki had to stay home alone, Suz took her to the ocean every other day after work. It was 25 miles to the Washington beach, and on some days they drove 32 miles to the Oregon beach. Moki was a very high energy dog, who needed to run. Suz couldn’t keep up with her. Eventually Suz found a beach, where it was legal to drive on the beach for miles. Moki would run beside Suz’s car for five miles, jumping the waves. The police patrolled the beach, and when they met a patrol car, the officer would wave and smile. On the days that they didn’t make the drive to the ocean, Suz played ball with Moki.

Moki was usually a wonderful, obedient dog, but once as they drove on the beach, a herd of elk stood on a hill, overlooking the water. Moki saw them and took off up the hill after them.  She went over the hill—and Suz prayed for God to save her dog!  Where there is a herd of elk, there is always a bull elk, and dogs who tangle with a bull elk are often seriously injured or even killed.  Then Moki came back running for her life! A big bull elk appeared and stood his ground on the hill, antlers outlined against the sky, and watched Moki run back to the car. She never ran after an elk again!

She was beauty in motion when she ran on the beach! She ran through the surf and chased sea gulls sitting on the sand. She was all the family Suz had, and Suz was all the family Moki had. Later a cat came to live with them, and then later another cat. They were all family, and Suz was no longer lonely!

In 2005, Suz went to China and adopted a little three-year-old girl. Shania Mei Mei came straight from an orphanage, and travelled home with Suz. She had never seen animals before, and she screamed when she saw the two cats. She watched her mother pet the cats, and saw that they were family. She may not have understood much English, but she observed that her Mom liked the cats, and that the cats lived there. The next day Suz went to get Moki, who had been boarded for three weeks, while Suz was in China. When Mei Mei watched her mother take Moki the dog out of her car, and bring her in the house, she caught on. Her new home had a Mama, two cats, and one dog. She accepted them and was never afraid again.

Moki understood that Mei Mei was family, and immediately began looking out for her. Every night, when Mei Mei was put to bed, Moki layed beside her until she fell asleep.

When Suz was transferred to Northern Washington, they lived too far inland for Moki to go to the ocean every day. But Suz had a commitment to Moki, and every day she was able to go somewhere for exercise. The dog park close by was huge – eight acres. They went there almost every day.

When Moki was twelve years old, she was grey around her muzzle, and arthritis was making it difficult to jump up into the car. One day an angel came and took her to Heaven. Moki was delighted! Heaven is better than running on the beach! 1 Corinthians 2:9 says that whatever you can IMAGINE about Heaven—it is better than that! I can imagine Moki is there—and it is better than that! When Moki left us, this is what I imagined happened when she got to Heaven: She was healed and Jesus welcomed her. I know that she is young and healthy again. Moki knew a Grandma who had gone to Heaven and I believe Grandma was there to meet Moki when she arrived. Moki can stay with her until the rest of her family comes to Heaven!

I’m sure that animals can talk in heaven, and both of the cats are there, too, with Moki. There are no fences and all three of them go exploring often. There is no night there, and it is an exciting place. They go to the throne room many times and worship God. There are countless paths to explore and many wonders to see. The angels know them by name and direct them to paths that have big surprises, like the meadow they found where angels and believers ride horseback. The believers and angels are practicing to ride behind Jesus when He comes again to the earth. You can read about that in the Bible in Revelation 19:11-14. Moki and the two kitties return to Grandma’s house often, to ask if there is any news yet of their family. When Suz and Mei Mei finally arrive in Heaven, Moki and her two kitties will be there to meet them!

THIS IS THE DOG GOD POINTED OUT FOR SUZ ALL THOSE YEARS AGO!  Moki needed Suz then as much as Suz needed Moki, and she was the perfect dog for Suz!

For more glimpses of Heaven, see my book, “Shadow and Tilly Go To Heaven,” which is based on what the Bible says about Heaven.