The Lassie Dog
As Kevin sat intently in front of the old 19 inch Zenith television set with
'rabbit ears' and poor reception, his mother watched her little seven year boy
move almost theatrically as he cheered Lassie on. "Go get 'em girl, go get 'em!"
He'd look forward to each episode as Lassie would save the day on each and every
airing of this show.
His mother had memorized Kevin's question as it was sure to follow at the end of
every episode of "Lassie."
Per usual, he quickly spun around while sitting 'Indian Style' on the floor and
asked, "Mom?, Can I have a Lassie dog? Please mom!?"
As she gazed into into his eager eyes she replied, "Honey, I'd love to give you
a dog like Lassie, but I've said it before--dogs like Lassie like to be outside
and run." Desperately trying to convince him she added, "Kevin, I have told you
over and over again that our yard is too small for a Lassie dog!"
Kevin appeared pensive for a moment and then excitingly exclaimed, "I have an
idea mom! I 'll teach the Lassie dog to stay by me all of the time so she won't
get lost or hurt!" His mother appeared surprised that Kevin could creatively
think on his feet so quickly.
"That's a really neat idea sweetheart, but Lassie is what's known as a Collie
and you can't teach a Collie to stay by your side all of the time because
they're outside dogs and I'm afraid your Lassie dog would run away. Do you
understand what I'm saying honey?"
Kevin looked down and was clearly disappointed by what he felt was his last
ditch effort to gain his mother's favour as it would relate to his getting his
youthful mind's hero--a dog and friend like Lassie.
Months passed and Kevin stopped asking his mother whether or not he could get a
dog like Lassie. She noticed his increasing quietness and sadness with each
passing episode and thought back to her childhood. Her parents surprised her one
Christmas with a little scroungy mutt that she adored. She got this ugly little
dog that Christmas when she was about her son's age and the guilt of not
allowing Kevin to have a dog to be his best friend finally got to her. One
afternoon after yet another episode of "Lassie", she decided, right or wrong, to
give in to Kevin's earlier repeated desire to have a dog of his own. "Kevin?",
she asked, "How about us going down to the dog pound today and getting you a
dog? The dog won't be as pretty as Lassie, but I know we can find a dog that
you'd love."
Kevin's eyes lit up like a 50 watt bulb with no lamp shade as he exclaimed,
"Really mom?! Yes, I don't care anymore about getting a Lassie dog! Can we go
now?", he enthusiastically asked. "We sure can honey! Put your shoes on and
let's go on down to the dog pound and find you the perfect dog!" Kevin jumped up
and hurriedly put his shoes on and headed directly to the car.
Upon arriving at the dog pound, she asked the old man who ran the shelter which
dog out of all of the dogs there would be the most loyal and well trained dog
for her eager little boy. Without a moment's pause, the man replied, "Oh, that's
an easy question to answer. Follow me back and I'll show you the perfect dog for
your son."
Kevin and his mother followed the old man back to the last cage on the right.
"There she is ma'am. This would be the dog I'd choose and I'd already have her
myself but we have a half-dozen dogs at home and just don't have room for
"Fire." She was taken back as she looked at this homely dog with little hair as
the mutt looked like she had been badly burned. After she got over the initial
shock of such a sight, she asked, "Has this dog been burned and are you sure
this would be the right dog for Kevin?" The old man looked at Kevin and noticed
his eyes were misting with tears. "Oh I'd bet my life on it ma'am!", he
confidently replied.
"Ma'am?", he inquired, "Did you not hear about the dog that laid on top of the
little girl during the forest fire up on Red Bird Mountain? This was the dog
that they featured in the local paper. This rascal saved the little girl's life
and just about lost her own by covering that little girl with her body!" She
thought for a bit and answered, "Well of course I did! Are you telling me that
this is that dog?" "Yes, it sure is. No one has taken her because of how she
looks and I would have put her to sleep but it's hard to end a life that saved
one!", he sombrely replied.
"Do you want this dog Kevin? Sounds like you'd have yourself a hero like Lassie
if we brought her home." Kevin's eyes had full-blown tears in them now. "I want
her mom! Can we take her back with us?" She quickly glanced at the old man who
was moved to tears himself at this point. "She's ours sweetheart."
They took "Fire" home and she never left Kevin's side and was his constant
companion--never once even attempting to leave the yard or run out of the gate
if mistakenly left open. Every night Kevin would say his prayers when his mother
would tuck him in and he never failed to pray that "Fire" would be healed and
get her hair back. After about five weeks, Kevin's constant prayers were
obviously being answered as the once terribly misfigured mutt's hair rapidly
began to grow back. Perhaps it was Kevin and his mother's imagination, but the
more "Fire's" hair grew back, the more she resembled Lassie.
Kevin's mother opted to call the old man at the dog pound as her curiosity was
overwhelmingly piqued. "Hello," the old man responded on the other end of the
phone, "Corbin County dog pound. My name is Joe and how can we help you today?"
"Hi Joe, I came in a month or so ago with my son and we got the dog you named
"Fire." "Yes ma'am, he replied happily, "I'm glad you called...been wondering
how old "Fire" has been doing. How can I help you?" She took a deep breath and
asked, "Well Joe, I'm curious about just one thing and thought you might know
the answer. What kind of mutt is 'Fire'?"
The old man softly chuckled before replying. "Ma'am", 'Fire' isn't a mutt."
Confused she continued, "If she's not a mutt, what kind of of dog is she?" He
chuckled again and replied, "Fire's momma' and daddy are both show dogs. 'Fire'
is a full-bred Collie."
The moral of this story is that we can never assume too much. Just as the heroic
dog, "Fire", in this story proved Kevin's mother wrong in her over-generalized
thinking, so too can God mold anyone we think is a lost cause into a found and
faithful follower of Jesus Christ if we only give them a second chance and
remove the labels! Press on! Love, Brian
by Brian G. Jett
hangtough@earthlink.net