A Puppy’s Prayer

By Joy Good

Hello Father,

I know you are there because my beloved pet person calls on you often. You must be very special because my Beloved treats me with so much kindness and love that I know she must have gotten that love from you. Please keep her safe and happy so that we can be together always. I don’t know what I would do without her. One day she cried and I heard her telling one of her friends about Heaven and coming to be with you some day. She said that her friend would see her baby again in Heaven. 

I am just a pup, but I am afraid. My little friend Buddy is gone. A car took his life. He slipped out an open gate and tried to follow his child who was going to play. My Beloved held Buddy’s child in her arms as he cried bitter tears and told him that Buddy would be waiting for him at the Rainbow Bridge. She said Buddy would be with him again when he goes to Heaven. Please Father, if I have to leave her someday, let me wait for her at this place called Rainbow Bridge. It must be a wonderful place. I heard her say that it has big green, grassy fields where we can play while we wait. Some people say that dogs don’t have souls, but if that is so, how can we love so deeply and care the way we do? You are the Creator of all things, including me and I believe that you have a plan for my life too.

Sometimes she worries and it makes me sad that she is not happy. She talks of problems in this country that she can’t control. Let these problems go away so that she will be happy again. When she is happy, we run and play. We go to places where there are a lot of other dogs. I can tell she is very proud of me. She shows me off to all the people. Sometimes we get little pretty colored ribbons. I know that you can help her. I listen when she talks to you. Thank you for giving me my wonderful Beloved and for listening to me. I know that You must be very special to have someone like her love you so much.

Make me be the kind of friend to her that she is to me. Help me to remember my manors and please her with good behavior. Don’t ever let her get tired of me and lock me out of her life like some of my friend’s pet persons have done. As I grow old and weary, keep her love for me strong. My love for her grows stronger each day. Teach me to be patient when I can’t seem to make her understand what I want or need and give me patience to learn what she tries to teach me. Help her to be patient with me too. Help me to not be too much of a bother when I go through my adolescences. I do love to chew and her leather shoes taste soooo good! It’s wonderful to smell her scent as I have fun devouring her shoes. Please don’t let her get too mad at me when I am playing hard and forget to go out in time. I know sometimes I get so excited that I bark too much. I can be a real yacky doodle when I get to running and playing. I just forget. Help her to remember that I use my mouth like she uses her hands and that I don’t mean any harm when play too rough and tear or break something.

Sometimes my Beloved has to work hard to get up the hair I shed. I don’t mean to drop hair all over the place. It just falls out, honest! It feels so good when she brushes me and I don’t get as much hair on everything then. Help her to have the time to brush me. I don’t like baths but it sure feels good the way she hugs and loves me when I am clean. It makes me sad when she pushes me away when I am dirty (boy, do I love to dig). Help me to understand that when she won’t give me a bite of her food, it is because it is not good for me. That is a real hard one because her food sure can smell good!

Help me to learn and accept correction that she gives me as being given in love. Keep me from being frightened or angry at her scolding. I heard her say that a parent “chastens” a child that she loves. I hope that means that when she scolds me, it is because she loves me. Well Father, I have taken enough of your time so I will say Amen (that’s what she always says last).