“I can’t wait to take my first dog wagon ride. Is Daddy finished harnessing up Jack yet?” asked Fawn
“Not quite,” said Mother. “He is still making sure that the harness is hooked up to the wagon right. Then he said he is going to take the first trip to make sure Jack understands the commands.”
“He ought to understand them,” Emily replied. “We’ve been practicing them all week with him on two leashes. He goes left now when we say Gee and right when you say Haw and stops when you pull and say Whoa.”
“That may be true, Emily, but he’s never had a wagon hooked to the harness yet. He may get frightened when he feels the wagon behind him,” Mother said as she came into the kitchen. “Let’s go see how they are doing out back.”
Just then, Beni came running into the kitchen. “Daddy going bye without me!” he wailed. “Daddy going to golf course.”
“Golf course? He wasn’t going golfing today.”
“Jack taking him,” Beni assured her.
“Mommy! Jack’s running away with Daddy!” shouted Emily as she ran outside. “Wow! Look at him go! Right through the grape arbor!”
“Oh, dear! He’s tearing through the garden now! My poor tomatoes!” cried Mother.
A long way down the field, Daddy was trying to stop the dog. Jack was a gentle dog, but he’d panicked when he felt the wagon following him and he jerked the reins out of Daddy’s hands. Jack was too afraid of what he thought was chasing him to listen to Daddy calling him to stop. Finally, Daddy was able to catch the reins and pull Jack to a stop just before they reached the creek bordering the golf course. Talking to him gently, Daddy led the frightened dog back up to the house. He unhooked the wagon and led Jack around for a few minutes in his harness.
“Jack sure does run fast when he is scared, doesn’t he?” asked Fawn.
“He certainly does. I’m glad I wouldn’t let Beni in for a ride. Pulling may be an instinct, but getting him used to it is going to take some practice on our part,” answered Daddy
“Did you see what he did to the arbor and the garden? He even bent a wheel on the wagon,” said Mother.
“Daddy wasn’t trying to hurt him. Why did Jack run away?” asked Emily.
“I guess being afraid is one of those things you just blame on the devil. If we were in Eden, Jack would understand our speech and he would not be frightened. Since sin messed up the languages, not only do we not understand the people, animals don’t understand us and we don’t understand them. He just didn’t understand what was expected of him. We will have to work a little harder on getting him to understand what we want,” answered Mother.
“I’m taking him out of the harness now”, said Daddy. “Fawn you go get him a dog biscuit and Emily, get his brushes. We have to show him we still love him and aren’t trying to hurt him. Right now, he needs some special attention.”
During the following week, Daddy and Mother led Jack around the yard with the wagon attached to his harness, letting him get used to the feeling of pulling something behind him. He was very jumpy at first, but gradually he calmed down. Daddy made sure he got special attention after his workout. Soon Jack ran to the wagon whenever he saw Daddy coming with the harness.
Finally, one Friday after school Daddy announced, “Today we are going to start taking rides. Miah and Beni get into the wagon. You can’t hold the reins yet, because Jack still needs to be led by the leash, but at least you can ride.”
First Beni and Miah rode in the wagon, and then the girls took a turn. By that time, Jack was pretty tired, so Daddy unhitched him. Jack lay down on the back porch while Ben and Miah brushed him. Fawn went in the house to get him a dog biscuit and Emily gave him a drink. He wagged and wiggled as if he were very proud of himself.
“I think Jack likes giving us rides,” Miah said.
“Mother, in heaven will we have dog wagons?” asked Fawn.
“I guess we could have if we wanted them. But the animals won’t be afraid like Jack was at first.”
“That will be a lot nicer.” agreed Fawn.
“And a whole lot better for the grapevines,” said Emily.
God’s Love Reminder Verse:
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5)