ANIMAL LOVE

"Gunner" by Becky Davis--Emporia, KS

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL,
PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
--Anonymous

This photo was taken by my niece, Becky Davis, of the barn dog which sort of belonged to her veterinarian neighbor on the outskirts of their Kansas town. Gunner was apparently born about the same time as a litter of prize piglettes on a neighboring rural farm. The kids from both families were buying the piglettes to raise and show at the local county fair. The wise old farmer was giving away one puppy with each purchase. So, that's how Gunner came to be a barn dog, and he seemed to be OK with the "Charlotte's Web" way of life with the other farm animals. But he did like human companionship and warmed up to the visits he had with Becky on her evening walks past the old barn. Then, the veterinarian's family moved to another city and Becky offered to take in Gunner. He started his new life in a simple little bed in the garage, but soon found his way into the house and hearts of those inside. He even cleans up very nicely and now his personality shines through even more abundently!

"And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds...And God saw that it was good...Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creaures that move along the ground." (Genesis 1:24-26) "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being...The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (Genesis 2:7-15)