On my way back to the office after taking Finn to doggie daycare, I saw a dog lying a short distance from the side of the road. I wanted to know if it was all right, so I turned around and went back, parked, and walked to where it lay. I couldn’t tell if it was a male or female, so I called it him when I spoke to him. He was wet and cold, and shivering terribly—from cold or fear or pain, I didn’t know. But what I did know was that he was nothing but fur and bones. There were a few treats Finn had left behind in the car (if you can believe that), so I got them and offered them to this poor soul, but he wouldn’t eat them. I assumed he had been crossing the street and was hit by a car. And it seemed that luck had been, at least a little, on his side and he was able to make it to where he lay, safe from any other traffic.
He was dirty and laying in the mud. When I first approached him, he acted as though he might try to run away, but I honestly don’t think he could. I moved slowly, and I spoke softly and gently to him. He raised his head and looked at me through brown eyes filled with such longing, I couldn’t help but bend down and stroke his head. Without a sound, he let me and then pressed his cheek into my hand and rested his head there.
I couldn’t leave him there all alone. I found something in my car to cover him with in hopes it would keep him warm. I called 911 and they sent me to Wichita’s Animal Control. I left a message, but sadly, when they returned my call, they told me that the poor creature had laid down just outside the Wichita city limits, so I would have to contact Sedgwick County Animal Control. Just then a truck with lights flashing pulled up next to my car. It was a state trooper.
Trooper Tyson made the arrangements with Sedgwick County Animal Control to come and pick him up. We both stayed with him for a bit longer, but I had to get to work and Trooper Tyson had a meeting to attend. As I walked to my car, I looked back and this precious life tried to get up and follow me, but couldn’t. My heart broke for him. I should have wrapped him up and taken him myself. Trooper Tyson said that after his meeting he would check back and if Animal Control hadn’t already picked the dog up, he would take him to the vet himself.
A few hours later, I couldn’t stand the not knowing, so I took a quick drive to see if he was still there. I don’t know if Trooper Tyson had come back and picked him up, or if Animal Control had him, or if some other caring person had stopped and decided not to leave him behind.
It made me think about myself—maybe you, too. Broken, beat up, hungry, thirsty, filthy, ruined—left behind by the cruelest one of all, who does not care if I die. But then, a soft voice, a gentle touch, and as I raise my longing eyes, I see the face of the gentle Saviour, the almighty Healer. He says to me that He has been searching for me and has finally found me. He promises to heal me and to hold me close to Him. He says that He came to give me life.