The Truth About Cats and Dogs

Are you a cat person or a dog person? Some people may be both, but so often I hear people say, "Oh, I don't like cats, I'm a dog person," or "Dogs are gross, cats are better." When I was a little girl, I always liked cats better than dogs - I was a little frightened of the dogs around me. Rocky, my grandparents' german shepherd, was probably one of the sweetest dogs in the world - he just slept in the hole he'd dug in the backyard all day - but nevertheless, I was terrified of him (and the skeeters flying around our heads). To me, he was a monster - sharp teeth, big claws, huge body - but my little sister Jenny was never scared of him. At three or four years old she would try to ride around on his back. Of course, Jenny was always one of those kids who liked any animal - if she found a dead mouse in the ditch, she'd pet it and feel sorry for it. But I was scared of dogs, even the ones my parents had. Our dogs were always part chow - a relatively territorial and bitey kind of dog, and after Ginger bit Jenny's stomach really hard, I refused to go near the dogs.

But there are other reasons I liked cats. Maybe I liked cats more because I was always more of an indoor kid and we kept our cats inside or maybe because the cats were smaller and I could carry them around like baby dolls. Maybe because they were quiet and sneaky, like me. Or because they could keep themselves clean. Or because they were independent and a little snobby, but would snuggle on the sofa and purr for hours. I always thought that cats had better personalities than dogs. I was a cat person through and through, and I always thought I would be that way. Until I married a guy who was allergic to cats.

I wanted a cat when we got married, but Scott's nasal passages couldn't handle one, so for over 2 years of marriage, we had no pet. Scott wanted a dog, but I didn't. The thought of a stinky dog tearing up my home and refusing to snuggle worried me. After a lot of coaxing from Scott, I agreed to get a puppy. I was anxious about it - I never thought of myself as a dog person, and since we lived in an apartment, I knew I'd have to let the dog live inside. I set up ground rules with Scott - we'd bathe the dog every week, house train him, and we had to split the responsibilities of walking him, grooming him, etc. So Scott told his parents that we wanted a puppy for Christmas, and it was set - whether I wanted one or not, we were getting a dog. Every day leading up to our new arrival, I second-guessed myself. Three days before we got Bacon, I told Scott I didn't really want a dog. But it didn't matter; we were getting one, and I had better prepare for it.

The weekend after Thanksgiving, Scott's parents called and announced that they had our "baby." Scott drove to meet them and bring him home. The moment I saw Bacon, that old cliche kicked in: it was love at first sight. All of a sudden, nothing mattered - I knew, just by looking at him. that he was the pet for me. In that moment, I became a dog person. He was the best (early) Christmas present I'd ever gotten. And even now, after having him for a year and dealing with his sick days and his poopy days and his fiercely protective bark around strangers, I'm even more of a dog person than ever before.

Bacon opened a window for me - he showed me what I'd been missing out on all of those years that I hated dogs. He's loyal and loving, playful and mischievous, and never snobby. He knows when I need to be alone or when I need a hug and a kiss, and he's always happy to oblige. He's the living proof of why humans feel drawn to having pets. People have an innate sense of wanting to love and be loved in return, and with a dog, that love relationship is never compromised or complicated. Whether I snap at him or ignore him, Bacon always loves me. For him, every day is a new day. I may leave him locked up in the kitchen for 12 hours and rather than being angry at me when I get home, he's thrilled beyond belief. (Imagine doing that to a person).

That unconditional love is how I interpret God's love. I'm not trying to trivialize God in any way by comparing God to a dog; rather, I see my relationship with Bacon as representative of God's love. For me, God's love is simple and unconditional - no matter what I say or do, the love is always there. A relationship with God is uncomplicated, unlike the relationships we have with other people. As we head into this Christmas season (which seems to start earlier and earlier every year), I'll be thinking about gifts and gift-giving, just like everyone else around me. But I'll also be thinking about the gift of unconditional love - that eternal Christmas gift from God.