Animals roles in our lives evolve

My neighbor invited me into her house the other day to look at the home improvement projects they had recently completed. We were busy looking at bathroom fixtures and light fixtures and I had been in the house at least 5-10 minutes when their dog Cricket finally realized I was there. (He had been sound asleep and his hearing doesn't work too well anymore, as he is over 15 years old, so he didn't know someone had come in). Once he saw me though, it was all wags and kisses and I spent some time giving him love and attention.

As I was petting him, my neighbor said, "He isn't much of a guard dog anymore, is he?" She went on to describe how someone could break into the house and he'd never know, etc. I felt bad for Cricket and didn't want him to feel that he was being criticized, so with a smile on my face I gently said, "Maybe that's not his job anymore . . . maybe he has another job."

I wasn't sure how my neighbor was going to respond . . . she was quiet for a minute or two . . . and then she said, "You know, I think you are right. His job is to take care of my daughter and he does a wonderful job."

It made me smile in a deep, from the toes sort of way. Her daughter is five years old and I love seeing she and Cricket together. They are the best of friends. There are times where I am in my backyard and she and Cricket are in their backyard and I find myself fighting back giggles when I hear her conversations with him.

She talks to him constantly, plays with him, lays with him, sneaks him extra treats when no one is looking, etc. Cricket gives her constant companionship, he makes her laugh, lets her do just about anything to him and he is happy to play along.

It made me happy to know that Cricket's mom was seeing that he does have another job to do now and it's probably more important than being a guard dog. I believe that the impact he is having on her daughters life right now, will stay with her and remain a positive for the rest of her life.

It got me thinking about the fact that the role our animals play in our lives can change and evolve over time . . . based on our needs. They may come into our lives to teach us something and once we've learned what they came to teach us, they may teach us something else, or they may play a role in another family members life or non-family members lives.

Several years ago, I met a woman whose dog had gone blind at a very early age. I remember her telling me that he still loved to play fetch in the water with sticks. She told me stories about the people they met who were astounded that he could find a stick in the water, even without being able to see. She told me that she thought part of his job was to help people see that it was possible to still life a full life, even with a disability. When they first adopted him, they had other expectations for the role he would play in their lives, but she fully embraced the new role he began to play after he lost his sight.

The one thing that I always trust is that animals know . . . they know why they are here, and they know what is needed most, even if we don't see it at the time. What magical creatures they are and what a blessing it is for us to have them in our lives.