Good Dogs

How did everyone like the dog show?” Aunt Gaby asked.

The dog show that Aunt Gaby had invited the Wander family to attend was basically three hours of dogs prancing and people politely clapping.

“It was, uh—” Eva wanted to say “fun,” but that would have been lying.

Andy interrupted to save his sister. “Otto!” he hugged Aunt Gaby’s big otterhound. “You were a good dog.”

Otto wagged his tail despite the fact that he hadn’t quite been a good dog. He’d been much more interested in mooching treats than cooperating with the judges. Otto looked just as happy as the kids to be done with the show.

They’d walked to a field behind the show tent to play with the other dogs and their owners. Otto eyed the lake, while the Wanders marveled at all the different dogs in one place. There were big bear-shaped dogs and pups that looked so tiny they could live in a dollhouse. One dog with moppy ropes of fur sniffed a dog with no hair at all. There were dogs with long bodies and others with stubby legs. Then, there was Ginger, the greyhound who’d just won Best in Show.

“Why did Ginger win?” Eva asked Aunt Gaby.

Aunt Gaby shrugged. “We’ll ask Carlos when he calls. He knows all about these shows.”

Art by David Leonard

Carlos was Aunt Gaby’s son stationed at an army base overseas. Entering Otto in dog shows had been Carlos’ thing before he’d been deployed. Aunt Gaby was participating in today’s show because it helped her feel closer to Carlos. He didn’t get to video chat much, but he’d promised to call right after the show.

“He should be calling any second now,” Aunt Gaby said. She felt inside her purse, then looked concerned. She started digging. “No, no, no!”

“Can’t find your phone?” Dad asked.

“It was right here.” Aunt Gaby dumped her purse’s contents onto the ground.

Dad had already begun the hunt. “It has a pink case, right?”

“Yes!” Aunt Gaby cried. She was in a full panic now. “Hot pink.”

Eva and Andy scanned the crowd for pink. But there were so many dogs and owners and toys and—

Wait.

Andy grabbed Eva and pointed. A man with a baseball cap pulled low shuffled along the lake, glancing suspiciously over his shoulder. He wore sunglasses even though it wasn’t sunny and carried a backpack even though he didn’t have a dog.

“Mom,” Eva whispered. “Call Aunt Gaby’s phone.”

As soon as Mom dialed the number, the man pulled a phone out of his pocket. He tried hiding it when he realized which one he’d grabbed, but he wasn’t fast enough—Aunt Gaby spotted the hot pink case.

“That’s my phone!” Aunt Gaby screamed loud enough for everyone to hear.

The thief started running. Everyone else was too stunned to move until Ginger’s owner pointed and said, “Get him!”

The greyhound was more than happy to show off her speed. She galloped the length of a football field in five seconds flat. The thief looked nervously over his shoulder, which caused him to miss an obstacle in his path: a stubborn chihuahua named Cheddar. The tiny dog would rather risk getting stomped than give up his perfect patch of shade.

The thief noticed Cheddar just in time to sidestep him. But the last-second adjustment thew him off balance, causing him to lose his grip and toss Aunt Gaby’s phone high into the air. A collie recognized this as a game of fetch but missed the phone and tipped it into the lake.

Art by David Leonard

At that exact moment, one final dog entered the scene: a 200-pound Great Dane. The thief raised his hands in surrender when he saw the enormous beast, but the Great Dane showed no mercy. He plowed right into the man’s chest, sending him splashing into the water.

Security rushed in to capture the bad guy, but it seemed that Aunt Gaby’s phone was gone for good.

“Oh Gaby, I’m so sorry.” Mom rubbed her sister’s back.

“Carlos will be calling any second, and now I can’t talk to him,” Aunt Gaby said in disbelief. “I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”

Otto looked up at Aunt Gaby with sad eyes, then trotted toward the lake.

“What’s he doing?” Eva asked.

Otto jumped in and started sniffing. He paddled out a few yards, then dove underwater. Ten long seconds passed.

“Um, is he OK?” Andy finally asked.

Otto answered by splashing to the surface with something pink in his mouth. The crowd erupted in cheers.

“No way!” Andy yelled.

Otto shook himself off, spraying water all over everyone, then presented Aunt Gaby with her phone. Right on cue, it rang.“Carlos!” Aunt Gaby yelled when her son appeared on the screen. “You’ll never believe what just happened!”

Eva turned toward her family. “I don’t believe it!”

“Otterhounds were bred to hunt otters,” Dad explained. “They can track scents on the water.”

Mom lined up all the dogs involved in the adventure for a picture. Andy laughed when the towering Great Dane sat next to Cheddar the chihuahua.

“Hard to believe that they’re all the same kind of animal, isn’t it?” Dad said.

“How did that even happen?” Eva asked.

“God made it possible by programming all of their abilities into the dog kind,” Dad explained. “He knew that dogs would be man’s best friend all around the world, so he gave them DNA for herding, hunting, tracking, companionship, and so much more. Every dog here came from one original created dog kind, thanks to God’s design.”

After the picture, Aunt Gaby brought her phone over to Otto. The big dog wagged his tail when he heard Carlos.

“Otto!” Carlos said. “I heard what you did today! You’re a good dog!”

The Wanders nodded in agreement. They were all good dogs.

What’s the Point?

God created animals with the DNA (information for how a living thing looks and functions) they’d need to survive in different environments. The DNA he put into the original creation allowed for countless combinations in just thousands of years rather than the millions of years that evolutionists claim. For example, God created the dog kind, and from those first two dogs came the many different species, such as wolves, coyotes, and dingoes. The domestic (tame) dog has many different breeds, like the breeds the Wanders met in this story. The huge variety of dogs in the world showcases the awesome creativity of our Creator.