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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Freedom from "Freedom"

Two of my "cloistered" brothers have dogs.  Both are golden labradors.  Skipper is 13 months old and already a big brute of a dog.  Goldie is a little puppy of 3 months.

The breed may be the same but their behavior is not!  Skipper was living for a year with a family that didn't train him at all.  When he got too big to control, his owners gave him away.  He's a monster.  He slobbers water all out of his water bowl.  He jumps up on you when you come over to him, and he's bigger and taller than children and some adults.  It's scary.  He pulls on his leash and drags his handler all over the place.  I was talking to my brother when he grabbed the magazine I had in my hand.  I went to grab it back, but Skipper thought I was playing tug of war and held on.  When I finally did get the magazine back, it had teeth holes in it.  I thought labs had gentle mouths; that's why they're used as retrievers?  Now, every time I read my magazine I'll see teeth marks right through it.

Now Goldie is a little sweet heart.  She has been in training since she was a few weeks old.  She obeys in a second.  She sits right beside her handler; she heels; she lies down on command, and she's learning more and more, every day.

Everyone loves Goldie and thinks Skipper is a brutish idiot.

Doesn't the behavior of these two dogs remind you of people.  People who have no self discipline, who don't think laws mean them, think they're free, but they're prisoners to their passions--like Skipper.  And everyone thinks they're brutish and idiots.  They're not pleasant to be around.

Civilized people are the ones who are truly free because they're not slaves to whatever whim enters their heads.  They choose to act like they do because it makes them happy and everyone around them.

Poor Skipper has a lot to learn.  He will though.  You can teach an old dog new tricks, it just takes longer.

Praying from the Heart

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