My last post was about Taco, the newest family dog. After writing about him I was reminded of the family’s first pup. It was over two decades ago when my family wanted a pet, specifically a dog.

I didn’t.

In an effort to delay the inevitable I told each family member we would ask God for the things we wanted in a dog. The requests ended up being – a girl, with pretty mixed colors, a curly tail, obedient, and good-natured. What were the chances that such a dog existed? I thought I was safe.

Within only a few weeks we were contacted by a past acquaintance who needed a home for a dog. Left behind by the first family, rejected by the next owner within a short period of time then passed on to our acquaintance. In other words, she was a rescue dog before that was such a thing.

Days later, right before dinner, the dog arrived. The door was opened and in charged an ill-named energetic dog who proceeded to jump so hard on the furniture that the corner piece of the sectional couch toppled over. My stomach sank.

What had we agreed to?

It took several minutes but we did manage to calm the dog. That is until Daddy walked in the house. The dog barked and snapped at him to the point we locked her up in the laundry room while we discussed our next steps over dinner. We realized right away that somewhere in her past she had experienced trauma with a man.

Knowing God answered the children’s prayers for a dog, we lifted her up one more time. This time we asked that she be healed and that we find a better name for her. As the children readied for bed, Daddy closed himself in the laundry room as he befriended the dog. Together they chose the name Ginger as her new name. Interesting point here, the spice ginger is known for having healing properties to it.

I wish I could say that our days with Ginger were without issue. But there was the retraining that the inside of the house was not for bathroom use. And I can’t forget the lesson that eating garbage left by the construction crews in the neighborhood was not acceptable food sources. Which led to the next lesson. She could run as much as she wanted but only on our land – 2 acres with no fences. She was beauty in action whenever running the perimeter of the house.

I have to admit the one lesson she couldn’t quite grasp was not to eat used tissues. She did however learn it was a punishable offense. So much so, that upon our arrival home she would greet us with her tail between her hind legs and head bowed low. As we proceeded into the rest of the house and discovered the carnage spread across various rooms, she would put herself to bed. A self-punishing dog… who knew?

She quickly became a part of our family. When the time came to move, there was no doubt – she was coming with us. Ginger, on the other hand, didn’t know that. As the boxes piled up she went into a depression – moping around and refusing to eat. It took me about a week before I realized she thought we were going to leave her behind. Shortly after coming to this conclusion, Daddy came back into town to help pack. He took the time to have a talk with her, telling her she was coming with us. “Go to Texas,” was what he told her. She perked up and behaved better than ever. When the car was loaded she hopped in and stayed in her designated spot. Refusing to move from that location except when our daughter put the leash on and told her to go potty.

Once we arrived in Texas, she stayed close by and rarely left the yard – again no fence. She even adjusted to the required chain leash whenever she was outside.

She was our companion. She loved carrots and rawhide bones. Among the breeds in her system was a herding dog mixture, which explains she roving the house throughout the day to check on each of us – her herd.

Then came the day when we had to tell her it was alright to pass on. Our senior dog who only knew youthful energy left quite a void. It was hard overcoming the emptiness. In time it became easier. Yet, we never replaced her. In many ways she was the last child to leave home.

Oh – funny thing I forgot to mention – she had each of the prayed for requests. She was indeed unique. I should have known it would happen. God is after all into details.