Young Kris - Great Dog Stories: Inspiration and Humor from Our Canine Companions

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ( NIRV ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Readers Version . NIV . Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon

Cover photo Eric Issele / Shutterstock

Published in association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney & Associates, Bonita Springs, FL 34135.

The information shared by the authors is from their personal experience and should not be considered professional advice. Readers should consult their own dog care professionals regarding issues related to the health, safety, grooming, and training of their pets.

In some cases, names and minor details of stories may have been changed to protect privacy.

GREAT DOG STORIES

Copyright 2012 by M.R. Wells, Kris Young, and Connie Fleishauer

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wells, M. R. (Marion R.), 1948-

Great dog stories / M.R. Wells, Kris Young, and Connie Fleishauer.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-2882-3 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4239-3 (eBook)

1. Dog ownersPrayers and devotions. I. Young, Kris, 1953- II. Fleishauer, Connie. III. Title. BV4596.A54W452 2012

242dc23

2011016828

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 / VP-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

We joyfully dedicate this book
to the great dogs and people in our lives,
and to our infinitely greater God,
who made us all.

How fitting that the dogs we love are pack animals. We are too. This book would never have been birthed otherwise. Thanks to all who lent a paw by sharing their stories or praying for us. Thanks to our agents, Mark and Janet Sweeney, who shared our vision and helped make it come true. Special thanks to Nicole Overbey, DVM, for giving our manuscript a top-notch veterinary checkup. And huge gratitude to our amazing team at Harvest House Publishers! You win best in show, and we are so blessed to have you!

Most of all, we are eternally grateful to our awesome God, who gave us dogs and stories and invites us into His!

T here is a certain instinctive fellowship among dog lovers. Its like proud parents getting together. We grab our cell phones and click through our photos to share their latest mug shots. We trade stories about the endearing and often amazing things theyve done. We marvel at their loyalty and love.

A lucky few, like this books authors, have the privilege of going one paw further. We are blessed to collect their antics into books. And in the midst of being blown away by our beloved canine friends, we are even more blown away by the God who made them.

Dogs arent just an accident of nature. They are a grand design and a gift from our loving Lord. He knew what dogs and humans could give to each other. He knew we needed their furry comfort in our frenetic twenty-first-century world. And in a society where dogs are far more common than sheep, He knew He could use them as pointers and pictures to draw us closer to Him.

Without pulling you by the tale, we hope the stories in this book will not only entertain and amuse you, but offer some spiritual kibble to gnaw on. We hope theyll give you new insightssome we didnt even catch ourselves. And we hope they will spur you to look with new eyes at the dogs in your life for the messages God may be sending through them to your heart.

Becca Wells is a gorgeous reddish-tan and white Pomeranian princess. She has a huge heart in her petite little body. When Im hurting, she leaps into my lap and lavishes me with doggie kisses.

Marley Wells is a handsome white-and-sable papillon mix. With his markings, this six-pounder makes me think of a tiny paint horse. He loves snuggling and cuddling with me, pulling his doggie sisters tail, and trying to convince my other four-foots hes top dog.

Morgan Wells was part Sheltie, part potluck, and all personality. He grabbed my heart when I got him as a two-year-old rescue, and held it in his gentle paws ever after.

Munchie Wells is a stunning tricolored papillon mix. This lover dog is mellow most of the time. But every now and then, hell push past his doggie and kitty siblings, squeeze close to me or climb into my lap, and paw at me as if to say, Youre mine!

McPherson Fleishauer was a beautiful and loving shepherd mix. He was our first pup as a young married couple, and we all learned a lot together. He matured into a fine working farm dog and served as a canine nanny to all three of our children when they were little. Even in old age, he never relinquished his role as our familys friend and protector.

Stuart Fleishauer is a handsome tan and white Welsh corgi. He is strong and active, but acts like a gentlemanum, gentledogwith his canine sister, Squitchey. He loves being with usprotecting, cuddling, and licking our ears.