Higgins is my next-door neighbor’s dog.
In fact, he is different that any other canine I had ever come across. He looks like a
cocker spaniel, but I’m not sure. He has long ears, different-colored eyes, and is knee-high. Admittedly, I am too lazy to research it out, and I rarely see my
neighbor, and when I do see them, I forget to ask about Higgins.
He is kind
of adorable, except he barks incessantly whenever he is outdoors. Is there such a dog
as a barker spaniel? The other day he was barking from the back deck because I
was in my backyard. Should he spot anything with legs or something moving, he
needs no excuse to go on a barking binge.
I get it; barking is what dogs do, but have
you ever talked with a person that you can’t get in a word edgewise; this is
Higgins, but there is another dog in the neighborhood who is quiet most of the
time, but never Higgins when he is outside the house. The other day Higgins
followed me around my house at a safe distance and woofed at me without
interruption. I have come to terms with this canine insanity by imagining
Higgins is carrying on a conversation with me that is all one-sided.
I can get down on my knee and stretch
out my hand and say, “Come here, Higgins,” in the hope he would just stop barking;
the ploy is fruitless. If I stand back up and walk away, he will follow me and continue
to woof away.
One day as Higgins was following me
around outside and sharing his day with me, I had completely walked around my
house and went into the garage to get something. Higgins followed me into the
garage and never lost a woof! It humored me more than anything. I made an appeal for him to stop barking, but he would have nothing of the sort. He was going to let out all of
that pent-up barking while he was in his owner's house. He was on his potty time and stretching
out his legs and jaws. The problem in the garage was that the sound of his barking
amplified. Did Higgins seem concerned in the least? No! It was funny and
irritating at the same time. I took one step toward him, and Higgins backed up a
bit but kept at it.
I have asked Higgins on several occasions, “Am I still a stranger to you that you feel the need to bark at me?” He answered with more woof; I took that as a “yes.” As I walked back out into the yard, Higgins continued to carry on with the same conversation. I have yet to be successful in petting Higgins. He probably is more interested in talking than being petted since he gets that all the time in the house.
I have asked Higgins on several occasions, “Am I still a stranger to you that you feel the need to bark at me?” He answered with more woof; I took that as a “yes.” As I walked back out into the yard, Higgins continued to carry on with the same conversation. I have yet to be successful in petting Higgins. He probably is more interested in talking than being petted since he gets that all the time in the house.
My neighbor down the street has a dog
whose name is Robert, unlike Higgins, he will not bark at me. Rather than let
me pet him, he runs around in circles making close passes to me. When I reach out to
touch Robert, his back legs drop a little on the run and he continues circling
in front of me. Should he stop to look at me from a distance, I will put one
foot forward to crank him up again! Flanked by barks and circling, I feel kind
of special that these two dogs had chosen me of all the neighbors to
communicate with me in their own special kind of way.
Proximity does have its
privileges, especially with doggie deposits! I got a barker and a runner, and Lexus, my housecat, has an
attitude of a show cat – “Look but don’t touch unless I approve of it.” Actually,
I am starting to develop a complex.
I hate to say it, but I kind of like noisy
Higgins; apparently, he has something he has got to get off his chest, and he
is doing his best to express his feelings to anyone who will give
him an ear; that would be me. Perhaps I should consult one of my neighbors who
is a veterinarian, not for Higgins but for myself! Do vets have couches? “Love your
pet; trust your vet,” right? Higgins definitely has issues. How can I tell my
next-door neighbor his dog has issues? I can’t; Higs is a family member!
I realize that this dog loves to catch a glimpse of me
so he can release his addiction to woof, and so I involuntarily provide an
outlet or a whipping post for him. I love my little circler friend, running around
and around with his tongue hanging out, seeing how close he can come without me touching him! It reminds me of watching a circus ring act. It is quite hilarious
really. One thing is for sure; I don’t have to worry about these two neighbors
doing me any harm, except for going deaf or dizzy. As I am writing this, guess what? I can hear Higgins making his presence known! Go figure.
When Jesus commanded us to love our
neighbors as ourselves (Mt 22:39), I am positive that He was not referring to
neighbors like Higgins and Robert. Nonetheless, animals are part of God’s creation, and we should never be
abusive but caring and responsible toward them. We need to be careful, however,
not to allow our care and love for our pets or animals of the earth to become
more important than our human neighbors. I would never be mean to Higgins and
Robert, but only humankind has a soul. To love an animal more than man is theologically problematic. I know of people who obsess over their pets; it is concerning to me.
Read what Jesus said about the value of
a soul, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses
his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul” (Mt 16:26). The
answer is nothing. This verse underlines the vital importance and incomparable value of the soul (Gk, psuche).
As emotionally tied to our pets as we are, we must
not forget the worth of a human being that far surpasses that of animal-kind. We
may consider and treat our pets like they are our children, but to keep it all in perspective, please remember
the words of Jesus in Mt 16:26. You are, after all,
supposed to love others as yourself, not to love pets as yourself. Jesus didn’t
suffer and die to redeem animal-kind, but to provide a way for man to escape the
wrath of God for sin (Eph 2:8-9; Heb 2:3; Rom 5:8, 9). <><
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