Dog - A Family's Best Friend

Lassie

"A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast:" Proverbs 12:10a.

Our sassy Lassie has been a fifteen-year blessing. A friend surprised us with this Icelandic sheepdog / border collie blend when she was just a puppy. We think of her as part of our family.

Camping in Grundarfjörður

Is she worth it?

In a word, yes. 

Lessons

The children have learned so many lessons from caring for Lassie. When they were younger, care focused on daily chores until those chores became habits. Daily responsibilities included feeding, brushing, and caring for her outside needs. The kids have less-than-fond memories of cleaning up the backyard toting plastic bags after the snow melted in the spring. The amount of dog hair to sweep up every day is too much to explain. The care has shifted now that Lassie is older. She is either mostly deaf or just ignoring us - we are not sure which. At this age, it doesn´t matter. Her eyesight is cloudy, and her limbs are tender from arthritis. Their care for her now is focused more on comfort.

Fun

Saturdays at our house are rest or family days. Almost every Saturday morning we sit around the table sharing stories from the week, talking about politics, or arguing (family-friendly style) about some Bible doctrine. Lassie is always a part of this. She always cons one of us into sitting on the floor to pet her or into giving her breakfast left-overs. Most Saturday mornings end with our laughing at some silly thing that she has done. This dog has provided more entertainment for our family than any expensive entertainment system.

Comfort

Summer in the North Atlantic

Somehow she can read our spirits. My spirit was so sad after our Sarah Ann was still-born almost twelve years ago. There were days that performing basic mom functions like clothing and feeding the kids was all I had the energy to do. I remember sitting on our outdoor stairs with Lassie at my side. She knew I just needed someone to sit with me. Her quiet presence was such a comfort.

Protection

One evening when the kids were young and my husband was not home yet, a drunk man tried to break into the house. He was yelling, kicking, and trying to open the door.  I was holding it shut and trying to get it locked. Meanwhile, one of my sons ran downstairs to lock the other door. That was just in time since the man had also run downstairs and was trying to get in down there as well. He came back up and tried to get in again. The kids and I were scared. Lassie was barking.

As the man went back downstairs to try that door again, I put Lassie on her leash. She and I went outside while the kids locked the door behind me like I told them to do. They called their dad. Our sweet, gentle Lassie turned into a fierce warrior-dog. She chased that man away while pulling me on the leash. She and I chased him down the street. Wow, could that drunk guy run! Lassie and I went back to the house and stood guard outside until Patrick came home.

You might wonder why I didn't just call the police. I did. The guy on the phone laughed at me and asked what country I was from. They helpfully sent a patrol car to drive by the house six hours later. 

This was not the only time that Lassie warned us of intruders.

Lassie

Why talk about your dog?

Well, people often wonder what life is like living in a different country. Sometimes it is a real adventure. Sometimes, it's just normal. We have a dog. Her name is Lassie, and she is part of our family. This hairy beast has a part of our hearts and our memories. I don't know how much longer we will get to have our sweet, sassy Lassie, but she has been such a part of our lives, that she is worth mentioning.

Patrick and Vicki Weimer, in Iceland since 1999