And, On the Eighth Day, God Created Dogs

I believe that it was author Dean Koontz who argued that, without a soul, humans are nothing more than meat. Dean Koontz does have a way with words. And for those of you who do not believe in God or that we are his divine creations, you face an uphill battle if you wish to argue that you are soulless meat.
Dean Koontz contends that it is not just humans who occupy a special place in the universe, but that we share it with certain other creatures. I've spent enough time in the company of cows to report that they are indeed simply meat. The same thing goes for chickens and turkeys. Salmon and crabs, oysters and lobsters, shrimp and sheep are just mobile meals who will fulfill their destiny only when they land in a hot skillet.
But not dogs. Like humans, every dog possesses a unique personality. And unlike humans, dogs possess a resilient innocence that we could all learn from. Humans bear the burden of instinctive cynicism. Dogs are congenitally trusting and forgiving. Humans are mostly selfish. Dogs give us all they have and ask only food and love in return. And if we forget to feed them or neglect to scratch behind their ears now and then, they will overlook the slight or blame themselves.
My dog died last week. I'm at peace with her passing. She lived to the ripe old age of 16 years and 3 months. I've never even heard of a dog living that long before. Equally remarkably, she was happy until the end. She was blind and she was deaf and she was so stiff that she had to be carried up and down stairs. But she could still briefly bounce around like a puppy and still craved the company of her family.
When God decided that her time was up, he took her quickly. She did not linger between worlds.
I've spent time lately pondering the place that dogs occupy in our world. Flies, mosquitoes and tree squirrels are just accidents of evolution and the world would not be poorer without them. If DNA had not been rearranged by cosmic rays to create barnacles, something else would have evolved to fill that niche and the world would be no poorer. But dogs are special. God put them here for a purpose. What might it be?
Dogs and humans have been pals for millennia. As hunting partners or as assistant herdsmen, dogs have worked their way into our world as productive members of society. But, the most important roles that dogs have played have been as our friends and as our role models.
Yes, I meant that. Dogs serve as our role models. Imagine what sort of world we would have if we adopted our dogs' most noble traits. Dogs are not greedy. A dog living in the most opulent Malibu mansion is no happier than a dog living in a run down Basin City trailer. Dogs are not vain. We might project our own vanity on dogs by putting ribbons in their hair or by trimming them extravagantly, as we often do with poodles. But dogs don't care how they look. And, they don't judge each other by appearance. Walt Disney's Lady and the Tramp was much closer to real life than our silly romantic fantasies that play on a similar theme of love triumphing over social status.
Feed your dog, pat its head, scratch its belly and toss a ball for it to retrieve now and then and it will love and worship you until it draws its last breath.
In other words, dogs treat us as Christ asked us to treat each other. And, dogs worship us as Christ asked us to worship God. Christ brought the lessons to us in the form of His word. Dog's role in the world is to lead us to the same place by their example.
There's an old joke that describes a sign carried by a dyslexic atheist that proclaims his disbelief in Dog. It's a funny joke in a perverse sort of way. You've probably heard it. But truthfully, is there anyone who does not believe in the innocence and nobility of a dog?