We don’t know how old Bullet is. We don’t know what he looked like when he was a puppy (although I imagine he was one of the most adorable creatures in all creation). We don’t know when he got his shots, who first owned him, or what his given name really was. We call him Bullet because he’s as fast as bullet when he’s in a hyper, playful mood. But Bullet is not his first name. And we will never know what that first name was.
But we do know that Bullet was abused. We’ve seen him tremble at the sight of a fly swatter. We’ve seen him hesitate to be touched. We’ve seen him hang his head low and place his tail between his legs in fright.
And we know that he was abandoned. Our next door neighbor, Mac, found him in a parking lot in Alabama, picked him up, and brought him home. When he first arrived in NC, he mostly stayed at Mac’s house, coming to our house only to poop in the driveway. This made my dad so mad! Yet, it was Bullet’s pooping in the driveway that somehow began his endearment with my family.
And we know that he’s been bullied. Two times this year, he’s been attacked by large dogs to the point of deep wounds that have required drainage tubes, IV fluids, medicine, and large veterinarian bills. Bullet does not pick fights. It’s not what he does. But for some reason—maybe because he’s so small and the big dogs think he’s a rabbit—those large dogs like to bully him.
Our poor little guy has had a rough life. He’s been abused, abandoned, and bullied…
Yet I dare say that he had been redeemed and is now is one of the most loved and cared for dogs that I know. He has one home where he receives love from his parents, Mac and Olga, and his Russian grandfather, Dedula. And he has another home where he receives love from my dad, my mom, my brothers, sisters, nephews, niece, aunt, and me. Not all of us love Bullet equally, that’s true, but we all do love him, and he loves us…especially my dad…wholly, completely, and unconditionally. He even does a little dance and talks every time my dad comes home. If he hadn’t been redeemed, then I don’t think he’d feel like dancing.
For some reason, Bullet’s story reminds me of these verses from Proverbs:
Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31: 7-9
I think Bullet has drunk and forgotten the poverty and misery of abuse, abandonment, and being bullied—even though he sometimes has dog nightmares that leave him trembling. I think that Mac spoke for him when he was alone in that parking lot and judged Bullet a creature worthy of being loved. He provided for his needs and restored him to life and now together, as a community of people who love Bullet, we take care of him and fill his needs and in return he provides us with laughter and smiles and entertainment and story after story of his cuteness.
I suppose that in many ways animals are easier to redeem and rehabilitate than humans, but somehow, in some way, I think we must try to live out the words of Proverbs 31 with humankind…because there are so many persons who have been abused, abandoned, and bullied…and all they’re waiting for is a chance for their lives to be redeemed.
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