The Dog That Laughed All the Way Home

The Dog That Laughed All the Way Home
by Marvin Hunt

As Wayne parked his pickup truck beside his house one day after work, he heard the neighbor lady calling for him to come over to her house as fast as he could. When Wayne got there, he saw his little beagle dog lying on the ground, flopping around like a fish out of the water. The dog was foaming at the mouth and acting crazy. He had a weird look in his eyes.

Wayne carefully picked up his dog and brought him home. He was worried that his little dog had the terrible rabies disease. To keep the little beagle from escaping while he called the veterinarian, Wayne put him in a horse trailer with high side rails that he had in the yard. Then he ran into the house and called the vet. Hurriedly he explained all about the strange way his dog was acting. Sadly, he found out from the vet that the only way to tell for sure if his dog had rabies was to test some of its brain cells. Of course, there would be no way to do this test while his dog was still alive.

Wayne hung up the phone after making an appointment for the vet to see his dog. It looked very bad for his little pet. After making up his mind about what he had to do, he went outside to get the dog out of the trailer. As he walked up, the little beagle got so excited that he jumped clear over the top of the trailer side and landed on Wayne. As the dog struggled to keep from falling, he scratched Wayne's face. Some foam from his mouth fell into Wayne's bleeding scratches. Now Wayne was really worried, because a human can catch this terrible disease from the saliva of an animal who has rabies.

Wayne tied a rope around the dog's neck and loaded him into the front seat of his truck. All the way to the vet's office the dog kept acting crazy. He bit the seat, attacked the gear shift, and kept foaming at the mouth. When he reached the animal hospital, the veterinarian was waiting for them. Wayne pulled his dog from the truck. He seemed more like a wild dog now than a pet. The wise and experienced vet took one look at the little animal and said, "Oh, he's got a bone stuck in his throat! Bring him inside."

Wayne was astonished. He had been afraid his dog would have to die. Instead, the veterinarian simply took his fingers and forced the dog's mouth open. Then he reached down his throat and popped out a bone! It was just a little bone—about two inches long and as big around as a pencil.

Wayne said later that if a dog could sigh with relief, his beagle surely did. Immediately the dog calmed down and stopped foaming at the mouth. Wayne thought he even began to smile, almost like a human. On the way home, his dog sat up on the seat beside Wayne just like a little king, enjoying the scenery passing by.

Thanks to his training, the veterinarian knew just what to do. He saved the dog's life. He had studied and learned all he could about animals, and God had given him the ability and the talent to become a good animal doctor.

Isn't it wonderful that we have special people to whom we can turn when we have special needs? I'm sure Wayne was thankful that he had a good animal doctor to treat his little beagle friend. I know Wayne was glad he was not alone. When the beagle was so sick, Wayne was very scared. He didn't know what to do. Can you think of specially trained people who help you sometimes with things you cannot do for yourself? A doctor? A nurse? A fireman? I'm sure your mom's and dad's can name lots of special people they have turned to when they had needs. God loves us and hears our prayers when we are in need. And He provides special people to help us when we are in trouble. Let's be glad for them and thank Him for them.

Adapted from Children's Stories and Object Lessons by Marvin Hunt. (1995). Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association. Used by permission.