Most of us have pets. They all have their unique characteristics and ways of behaving. They often bond so closely with us that they either take on our traits, or they behave in a manner that resembles how we live. Often, we are able to see patterns in our pets that mirror the way our own lives are going. Perhaps it’s that they adapt well to other people. Maybe they exhibit signs of having once been wounded or mistreated. Or they may need a lot of patience and reassurance in certain circumstances. On Wednesday, let’s talk about the amazing relationships we have with the pets God created and brought into our lives.
Take 2 with Jerry & Debbie 
June 5, 2019 at 11:20 am
Dear Jerry and Debbie,
Hi.
Your show topic will surely get a lot of callers today as everyone loves their pets! I enjoy hearing about your dog Duke and I remember hearing Debbie saying she has a cat.
Many years ago I had a mostly terrier, “Benji movie dog in Black”, type dog named Nikki. I had rescued her from a couple going through a divorce. She was around 7 months old at the time. Nikki had been kept in a cage with a bit put and another dog. I had wanted a dog that would be a good home security dog and protect me.
Nikki on the other hand was extremely timid and scared of everything. She would never allow herself to be in a room in our home, (ex-husband), without one of us in that room also. Even if she was sound asleep she would immediately wake up and go to the room where one of us was. Once when a repairman came over to fix something she rushed ahead of this man, flopped herself on her belly, and excitedly began wagging her tail wanting her belly to be rubbed by this total stranger! So much for my desire to have a fearless, home protecting type dog, filled with courage and valor!
On another occasion I woke up during the night with my face plastered with Nikki’s dog fur from a trembling and whimpering dog. She had heard noises downstairs, but was too afraid to check it out for herself. So after that I thanked God for my sweet, precious, “reverse burger alarm” dog, who was greatly loved her until her death.
Nikki would stay so close under foot due to being fearful and on more than one occasion I almost fell down the stairs because she got under my feet. When that happened one time I looked down at Nikki and thought to myself if only she knew that I would always be there for her and protect her and feed her and take care of all her needs that she would trust me like she should. Then an epiphany occurred to me that I was just like Nikki in my relationship with Jesus. Wasn’t I the one who was afraid to change a lightbulb, or hang a shower curtain, or even hammer nails in the wall to hang pictures. I think it took me about 11 years to get the courage to try honey mustard salad dressing, from my usual ranch salad dressing. (I still can’t figure out why I was afraid of trying a new salad dressing!) I can now do all of the above without fear.
I have grown in time, I’d like to think in to the person that God always created me to be, or at least I hope I am. I really think my journey out of fear and self-doubt started with Nikki, my very timid dog, whom God sent me to learn how to trust Him more and be bolder, which He has been calling me to do, more and more of late.
I grew up in a very dysfunctional family and I guess being criticized, neglected, having to fend for myself, worrying about adult matters as a child, being told I wouldn’t be successful at things I wanted to try, an once being told by a parent that I would be a failure and never amount to anything. This all probably led to my being a very timid and fearful person. After years of counseling, which I highly recommend to everyone, I am not the timid and fearful person I once used to be, and I even have my moments of bravery! I’m considered a very outgoing person when once I thought I was shy. These days I base myself in God and who He says I am, and that’s really wonderful, and not necessarily things from the past. I was very, very fortunate in that both of my parents realized their mistakes in raising my sister and me and not only apologized in their own ways but also made amends as time went on. However, sadly it was years after my sister and I were out on our own, and the damage had already been done.
Unfortunately for so many people their parents, (and perhaps other family members), do not realize their mistakes and do not try to reconcile matters with their children until it’s too late, or doesn’t even get done at all. I count myself very fortunate that my parents realized their mistakes, and especially so before my Dad died. I pray for those that didn’t have a happy childhood like me and I pray that God will help them get there and heal them completely, even if their parents have passed on, or are living and do not want to reconcile.
I do know that with love, forgiveness, counseling, and of course God’s help and wisdom God can heal an unfortunate past. I know that God used my dog Nikki to help me heal and move forward in a better way.
I pray that God will use pets, or whatever, for God to heal us to a complete wholeness once again. I guess that’s why my Church family is so important to me and of course my new Take2 one as well. Others are often the families we never had growing up. God is good!
I don’t know much about your dog Duke, or Debbie’s cat, but I’d be willing to say that God has brought your pets in to your lives and has taught you things through them that God wanted you to experience. Also, I bet that God has richly blessed you through these pets. I’d say that God sends us pets for our own good and I think many others would agree with that.
Have a great show today and I hope to be able to catch it this morning. If not, I will listen to it late tonight on the replay of it.
I will be praying for you today and all the Take2 family.
Blessings,
Toni in Texas
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June 5, 2019 at 11:22 am
Toni,
Thanks for the stories about Nikki. We’ll see what we can do to take some of it and share it on the air today. We appreciate you listening and sending in your comments!
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June 5, 2019 at 11:22 am
Correction -that was Pit Bull and not bit pul. Where’s the caffeine when I need it! 🙂
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June 5, 2019 at 11:26 am
🙂
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June 5, 2019 at 1:33 pm
Hi Jerry,
Good show to both you and Debbie today and great callers! Some good insights that I hadn’t thought of. It’s fine that it didn’t get on the air as it felt good writing that email and I hope it was helpful. It was to me writing it. I know that you must have tons of emails and comments to deal with daily.
God must have dropped Duke by invisible parachute over the locked fence to you but he was the dog for you, as was Nikki.
I unfortunately haven’t had a dog for awhile but I am praying that when I move this summer when my apartment lease is up I can locate a place to live that will take a dog. I’ve wanted one so badly now for many years but many apartments don’t allow dogs or have very tight restrictions. I will take whatever dog God sends me when the time comes.
I have a book on dog psychology that I will send you that’s interesting reading. You can keep it. I don’t know a Take2 address so I’ll send it to the EWTN Irondale address and hope they will forward it on to you. I’ll send it along with a birthday card for you since your birthday is coming up I heard you say on the air.
My apologies to Debbie as I misunderstood and thought she had a cat instead of their dog Gracie. I need to be a better listener like you and Debbie are. You are both really great at that!
Blessings and Peace,
Toni in Texas
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June 5, 2019 at 1:35 pm
You’re very sweet and kind, Toni. I look forward to receiving the book. And, no worries on the Gracie thing. I was trying today to keep track of whether callers said they had dogs, cats or something else LOL
God bless you!
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June 6, 2019 at 8:12 am
Greetings Jerry.
Thank you for the kind words. I try to be nice to others when I can be. I will have that book in the mail to you no later than Monday. It will give you some insights in to what Duke, or any dog, is thinking.
Duke’s fortunate to have you as his owner and you sound like you are so happy that he’s with you too.
I did laugh when I read your comment on trying to keep track of what kinds of pets the callers had. That was funny! I do good on most days to remember where I parked my car at Wal Mart!
God bless you too! Have a great show today to both you and Debbie!
Toni in Texas
p.s. Got that book on “How to Profit from Your Faults”, by Joseph Tissot, that you recommended on a recent show coming in from Amazon tomorrow. It sounded really interested the way you described it. I have a bad fault of too verbose emails, as you can tell, among other shortcomings, but hey, I’m a work in progress. 🙂 Have a good day!
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June 6, 2019 at 8:54 am
You’re very kind, Toni. Yes, I believe Duc (we spell it that way; he’s named after John Paul II’s encyclical, Duc in Altum, which means, “Put out into the deep,” Jesus words to the apostles when they had fished all night and caught nothing). But we are also incredibly blessed to have him here. Glad you got the book. It has helped me SO much.
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June 7, 2019 at 6:51 am
Dear Jerry,
Thanks for setting me straight on your dog’s name. Since I’m a fairly new listener I would probably have heard your original story about Duc a couple of years ago when he first came to you. That’s so neat the way God got Duc to you just after you and your housemate had decided to get a dog the night before.
That’s cool that you named him after John Paul II’s encyclical! I thought that you named the dog after John Wayne and figured you were a big John Wayne fan! 🙂
I haven’t read that encyclical Duc in Altum but I will. I’ve been meaning to read some of those encyclicals and Papal Bulls but I don’t know where to find then! I will Google it or see if it’s on an app. I have on my phone called Laudate, which I need to use a lot more.
I’m going to read Humanae Vitae first however. That’s the one I want to start with first and it’s Pro-Life related and then I will read Duc in Altum. I really like that occasion where the apostles are fishing and catch nothing and then when Jesus tells them what to do they catch a massive amount of fish.
After reading your email I decided to somehow pick out my future dog’s name from something I read in Humanae Vitae. I hope to get a dog after I move this summer to a new place. I will have to figure out both a girl name and a boy name as I don’t know what God will send me in the form of a dog. Any suggestions welcome. Now that I’m Catholic I want a dog with a name that has a religious reference too. Thanks for the idea!
I have a friend from Church who has a dog that she leaves home all day with EWTN radio on. She says that she has the most knowledgeable Catholic dog ever!
I’m glad that you and your friend are receiving such great joy from your dog! I can understand that.
I hope that my “Faults” book arrives today so I can get to reading it. I’m glad that it’s been helpful to you and I hope the same for me too.
All the Best!
Prayers go out to you and Debbie this morning,
Blessings,
Toni in Texas
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June 7, 2019 at 8:58 am
Thanks so much, Toni. I pray you get exactly the dog wants you to have. Debbie is big on “grace,” so that would be one suggestion for a female dog. As for a male, maybe “Max,” after St. Maximilian Kolbe 🙂
Have a blessed day, and we’ll “talk” to you on the radio in about three hours.
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June 7, 2019 at 9:56 am
Thanks! Blessings and prayers to all the T2 family.
Thanks for the dog name suggestions. Both are good!
Max sounds good for a boy dog or maybe Maxine for a girl dog. Grace is a thought too.
I’ve been learning on EWTN more and more about St.Maximilliam Kobe. What an incredible man of sacrfice he was. Certainly something to think about.
Thanks!
T in T
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