By Any Other Name

We have a 3-year-old golden retriever named Rosy. Shortly after we got her as a 7-week-old puppy, the vet confirmed what we feared: She had severe hip displasia. It was too late for reparative surgery, and we loved her too much to "exchange her for a new puppy," as the breeder offered. My friend Melanie, a fellow golden retriever lover, replied to my "am I crazy to keep her?" e-mail with this thought: "The way you handle this might teach your girls about commitment and unconditional love . . . love when it isn't easy or convenient." We kept Rosy.

She is a golden retriever who's not supposed to run or jump or fetch a stick. Sometimes she has a hard time getting up. Her poor, atrophied hips are a bit misaligned, and it's a feat to get her to take her chondroitin supplement twice a day. But the people who compliment us on our beautiful dog are surprised to hear about her hips. We tell them, "She's handicapped, but she doesn't know it, and we're not telling her." Then, as if to prove a point, she runs and tussles with our 75-pound Siberian husky, who seems to know just how much is enough.

Oftentimes, as I pet her, I have wondered why my faith is not sufficient to heal her hips. I have earnestly prayed for her healing, as have many others. But I expect it's because she is whole, just the way she is. She is full of the kind of love God intends for me and for my family. You see, she loves unconditionally and without reservation. She forgives all wrongs. When I'm sad, she is sad with me. She seeks my presence and wags in greeting every time I come near - sometimes with her whole back end, bad hips and all. She is trusting. She is obedient, usually. She is gentle. She loves to be loved. And we love her especially because she is fragile.

So we are resigned to the fact that, through some unfortunate genetic circumstance, Rosy has two hips put out of joint, the right worse than the left. While these were not the product of her wrestling a blessing from God, as they were for Jacob, the struggle we endured in choosing to love and care for her has most assuredly been a blessing to us. We know that caring for her will become harder, but loving her will never be difficult.

Jacob was renamed Israel after prevailing in his struggle with God. Rosy - "bright, full of promise, cheerful, optimistic" - is ever so rightly named.

— Wendy LeBolt

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist