Listen To Your Dog!

By: Joel Allen

Hello, folks! About a week ago, my sister told me about an interesting situation that happened at her home. She had a date with a guy and it was going to be their first date. Well, he showed up and approached the house, and as he got closer, my sister’s dog, Escanor (Eski-nore), Husky/German Shepherd mix, growled at the guy and bared his teeth. This dog never does anything like this. So, when my sister saw this, she told the guy that the date was off and the guy got upset. Escanor was not having it. I have always told my sister to listen to her dog because I believe dogs can see things we cannot, and they are guardians of our lives in many ways.

Another time, many years ago, Scrabbles, my Mantle Great Dane was staying with my mom while I was stationed in Korea. I had an aunt, Aunt Lynn, who lived next door to my mom. Scrabbles loved Aunt Lynn and would always greet her at the door. One day Aunt Lynn came over and Scrabbles met her at the door as always, but this time he began to growl. As she came closer to the door, his growling intensified until he almost seemed like he would eat her up. Aunt Lynn backed up and went back to her house. Mom saw the whole thing and went to find out what was wrong. As she approached Aunt Lynn’s home and entered the house, she found Aunt Lynn looking around as if someone or something was talking to her. I have always believed you should be careful of your sins because if you anger the Lord and he lifts His hands of protection, then anything evil can come and torment your life. So, when Mom saw that Aunt Lynn seemed to be listening to something she could not see, she asked her if she was hearing voices. Aunt Lynn told her of three shadowy figures just outside her peripheral, telling her to do awful things. So Mom got her help and once she was on medicine, the figures and voices were gone. Until that happened, Scrabbles had stop letting her come over. But once those spirits were gone, he was all right with my aunt again and she was allowed to come over to Mom’s place. Dogs are amazing judges of character and will protect the family.

So, has anyone ever had or seen a similar situation unfold? How was the situation handled? Was the dog ignored or scolded and then put up? A lot of people don’t think about what their dogs are telling them. They make, in my opinion, a bigger mistake and put their dogs up. This can cause the dog’s behavior to worsen, and if ignored, the dog can become aggressive toward new visitors that it deems are not family. This treatment of putting the dog up takes away from its social life with people, and that lack of interaction can bring out negative behavior. Some people never see these warning signs.

Now, everyone needs to understand that sometimes a dog just does not like someone for whatever reason. I have run across a few in my life that just did not like me. One I did not like from the start and she showed me that the feeling was mutual…LOL. Another one that does not like me is a Great Dane named Rachael. Georgie Girl, her mom, will fight her off me if they are together when I come into the yard. I have never seen that before, but the last time Rachael came after me Georgie Girl jumped her and stood between me and Rachael. I wish I could win her over but it is what it is. Some of my readers are probably thinking, “What does Rachael see that we don’t?” LOL…well, I can’t be all bad because most dogs do love me.

Let this article and those stories I shared stir everyone’s thinking. It could save a life or deter harm. The rule at my home is if my dog does not like someone, I don’t like that someone, and I will tell them to leave. Have I done this before? Yes…and because of this, I believe that I saved myself a headache or two.

Again, I hope this has been helpful, and be sure to listen to your dog. I got the feeling that someone needed to read this and believe in their dog. Don’t forget dogs can see things we cannot. Have a happy June and be safe!

By: Joel Allen