About 4 years ago, when Jono and I were still engaged….I, determined to own a dog and my soon to be husband who wanted to make me happy
went looking at some shelters for the perfect one. I have always had a soft spot for dogs and thought it was worth all the muddy carpets in the world to have one in the family. We found a few good looking young dogs at the humane society who no doubt would be popular with all the prospective dog owners, but we were just looking of course and ended up leaving without one. On our way back from the hunt, we stopped at a place called Homeward Pets. This is a small shelter nestled in a business park in Woodinville, WA. There were only a few dogs there and some were off limits (allowed only to be given to families with prior dog experience). In the back though, was a little black ragamuffin looking puppy with a bite out of the corner of his ear (they said it was from a fight with his sister who had been adopted just a day before) We took him outside to play and he stole my heart. Without much delay, we had signed the papers ad brought this precious little doggy that would consume the next few years of our lives home. We named him Briar because he was our dog and that was the City between where Jono and I lived when we met.

The first year, was a challenging one and we often had run arounds in the condo with a stubborn barking dog. We would have taken him back to the shelter, except for the fact that we were already in love with this sometimes crazy and other times sweet mut. We had…both stressful and precious moments with him. The mornings by far were always a favorite because that is when he was mellow and I could cuddle with him. It’s been quite a road, but I highly doubt we would trade any of it…
The harder seasons have passed and Briar has grown into a large, loving, loyal and yes, clingy Lab/Shepard dog. He is more than just a dog (aka running partner) to us though. To us, he is a member of our family. Our first kid.
A few days ago I took Briar for a routine check up and to have the vet take a look at a few other normal concerns I had. I was expecting, as always, to hear a report with a clean bill of health. Much to my surprise and pregnant hormonal dismay that the vet had heard a heart murmur. She said there can be many causes for this, but wrote in his notes that the most likely cause is heart disease. Nothing to be alarmed about until we look into it a little further…but I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that there may be, just maybe something wrong with my sweet doggy’s heart. It’s just about breaking mine. I know, I know. I’m probably jumping the gun here. We haven’t had an ultrasound done on him to confirm the diagnosis and some would say, “Crystal, please. It’s just a dog.” but not knowing a final diagnosis is driving me crazy and I can’t help but be saddened by the chance that our years with him could be less than we thought.
Is it crazy to beleive that the God who heals us can heal and repair the heart of my dog? I’m going to believe that it’s not.
Praying and seeking comfort from the God who is capable of healing what matters to me.
