I can remember like it was yesterday the first time we had a prospective pet. It was summertime and I was a Kansas Wrestling National Team coach. We had just finished a week long training camp and were headed to Fargo, ND for the National Championships. A fellow coach and I both lived in Topeka, KS and decided to stop home for a couple of hours before making the long trek to Fargo. On the way to Topeka I called my wife and let her know I'd be home for dinner and to wash some practice gear. She informed me that she had a surprise at home that she was excited to show me.
In my mind I was expecting to come home and find some new furniture or something of that nature as we were fixing up our house. When I pulled into the drive I could hear my wife talking in the backyard, so I went through the gate to see her. Little did I know that a streak of golden fur would come sprinting at me with teeth bared and on a mission to take a hunk out of my leg. I started yelling at this vicious looking animal and then turned and headed for the gate. I made it out of the gate just in time to save my hind parts from a wicked looking set of teeth.
Once in the realm of safety, I heard my wife laughing and calling down this angry golden fur ball. Actually he was an angry golden ball of muscle covered with fur. That's the day I met our first "child", whom we later named Rocky (he was around a year old at the time).
One of Laurie's friends had found Rocky in an abandoned house, but she couldn't keep him as she had three dogs of her own. Laurie had spoken with her once about the possibility of us getting a dog, so she called Laurie to see if we wanted this one. Laurie agreed to keep him for a couple of days while I was out of town as a test run. After I found out about this test run and sized up Rocky for a couple of hours, I told Laurie she could keep him while I was in Fargo and then we'd make a decision about him when I got home.
By the time I arrived home a week later, Laurie was in love and this doggy was part of the family. Luckily he decided he liked me as much as he liked Laurie and we became good friends. Rocky slept on the end of our bed, sat with me on the couch watching t.v., hung out outside while I landscaped the yard, wrestled, played soccer, and followed me everywhere around the house. Rocky was our four legged kiddo!
Fast forward 11 years to the present and life looks a little different around the Parks house. We have another dog (Bella...Rocky's partner in crime for the last 10 years), two cats, and three human children. We live in a different house and life is crazy busy. But through all the changes, Rocky has remained loyal, loves our family, and has been a rock for me... no pun intended.
That little guy (all 65 lbs of fast twitch muscle) gets excited every morning when he sees me and every evening when I arrive home from work. He wags his tail, gives me this silly puppy smile, and whines at me to come and pet him. He doesn't care if I have been neglecting him, If I've messed up that day, or if I'm feeling stressed out. He just knows that he loves me and thinks I'm pretty awesome.
I once saw this quote on a little chair pillow at my Uncle Tony Killscrow's house and I've never forgotten it...
"I wish I was half the man my dog thinks I am."
As soon as I saw that quote, I thought of my Rocky dog. I thought about how he loves me unconditionally and how that love makes me want to be more like him in a way. Don't get me wrong, I like being human and have no desire to be a dog. But, I want to have the ability to love unconditionally just like my dog loves me. I believe that God has given dogs this ability and allows us humans to connect with them in order to feel and see His love.
That my friends is the point of this blog post. We as humans can learn from one of God's coolest creatures. We can learn to love unconditionally and that in turn will make the world a better place. Our families, friendships, and work places would improve dramatically if we could learn to love others unconditionally like our dogs love us.
If you have a dog (or any pet) that you love, then I hope this post hits home with you. I hope that you will love that animal as it loves you. I also hope that you will apply that same kind of love to every area of your life and help make your world a better place.
This is dedicated to my Rocky who passed on to that other side on 3/9/14 at 12 years of age. We love you buddy and know that we will see you again one day in a place where unconditional love reigns supreme.
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| Rocky sleeping, wrestling, and dancing! |
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| Rocky laying in the Sun with Kate. |
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| Rocky and Bella looking like Wolves at Night |
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| Beautiful Rocky :) |
God Bless,
Coach P
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