Unleashing Obedience

Besties Stick Together

"Miso Magic"

When we got our dog Miso from the Humane Society, he was a little guy: 9 weeks and about as many pounds. We carried him around with us wherever we went, tucking his warm puppy belly in our arms and letting him fall asleep on us throughout the day. He needed to get all his vaccinations before he could even walk out on the public streets, so his world was very limited.

Now Miso is 15 months old and over 40 pounds! He's kind of the non-human love of my life, my bestie beastie. He's full of joy, affection and graceful energy. I love his company and I want him to be wherever I am, to go wherever I go.  

What's the problem? For him to be with me through my daily activities, to keep up with my busy life of car errands, meetings and caregiving for elderly grandmas and school aged kids, he has stay calm and stay close in a variety of environments, to come back to me when exploration time is done, to relax quietly when waiting. In a word, he has to be obedient. And he's not there yet. He needs obedience training.

So far, he can walk on a leash with basic manners. He's okay enough that we've taken him to the beach, and only there, in a deserted corner that's blocked on one side, we've let him off leash to run freely. But on daily neighborhood walks he pulls at times and we correct him with a jerk on his choke chain. I would never let him off-leash in an unbounded area because he has in the past bolted off into danger. He also "counter surfs", pulling down food and utensils in the kitchen. He eats shoes. He pulls stuffing out of pillows and toys. When we leave the house, we lock him in a crate for his safety and the safety of our home. 

The Freedom of the Obedient

On the plane during landing

My friends Kristin and Neal have trained their  dog, Izzo, to be a service dog. The last time they flew from Hawaii to Michigan, Izzo didn't have to go in a crate in the belly of the plane. No, he walked right through airport security, right through the body scanner, and sat at their feet on the plane! He's so obedient, some people don't even know he's there. How I would love to be able to take Miso on trips with us and spare us all the anxiety of separation.

Dog Whisperer who walks packs off leash

I watch with envy the great dane and peaceful master who walk side by side, leash-less, then relax together outside of Whole Foods, enjoying the passing crowds and an hour with coffee and a magazine. At the dog park, I see a bounding spaniel run freely through the trees, chase at will with the other dogs, and return swiftly to her master on command when it's time to go home.  These are happy dogs and happy people. I want Miso to have a life like that, a life of trusted freedom and constant fellowship. It would be the best gift I could give him. 

"gentle halter harness"

But practically, the route toward that life of freedom and fellowship looks an awful lot like a leash, a choke chain and hours of practice sitting, heeling and staying patiently.  The great dane and spaniel went through that school. Izzo did and still does.  Am I willing to ask that of my dog? Am I willing to invest my time to slow down and repeatedly work with him? If I really love him and want the best for him, I will. 

Oh, the Places I Want to Take You

http://www.hopesewell.com/walt-disney-world-is-it-heaven/

Well, God is willing to do that for us. He requires obedience of us because He wants us to be where he is. Jesus says as much: "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." John 17:24 

This Saturday August 11 at our Bluewater Women's Fellowship, we're going to talk more about why we want obedience in our lives, how the bad rap obedience has been given in much of our culture is a clever ploy to actually rob us of freedom and how we can make obedience bloom for us.

Please join us and and invite a friend! Contact bluewaterwomen@bluewatermission.org for more details.