Sugar and the Beast

Once upon a time, there was a dog named Sugar.  She was as sweet as her name with the people she loved.  She used to have friends, but after they died, she became fairly content.  Being the only dog allowed her to have indoor privileges.

Her self-designated rug towards the corner of the room by the door.

 Oh, she was sad and lonely when her people would leave for more than ten minutes and would cry and whine hysterically when they returned after a few hours, but for the most part, she enjoyed being top dog in the compound.

House privileges AND all the treats, bones, food, and attention.  Life didn't get much better than that!

One day, her owners had a strange man bring over a Terrifying Beast!  The Beast was HUGE and drooly.  Sugar did not like him.  He scared her sooooooooooooooooooooo much that she wet herself. Repeatedly.

She barked and cried, 'What is the Beast doing here?  Please make him leave.'  She didn't think he was a very intelligent Beast b/c when she started crying, so did he!  Oh the duet!

After about 10 minutes, the strange man left, taking the Beast with him.  Sugar was very relieved, but a little wigged out.  She spent the rest of the day burying her bones, and making pathetic noises for attention.

About a week and a half later, the Beast returned!!!  (cue scary music)

Sorry, having issues flipping this and I just want to get it DONE!

To Sugar's horror - when the strange man who brought him left, he left the Beast behind!  Sugar's people kept calling the Beast Rocky.  Sugar decided to just call him 'That Dog.'

MY, what big paws you have...

Sugar had several issues with the Beast - he was BIG, he was male, he was going to eat her food and hog her people!  Worst of all, his favorite activities were chewing things and jumping!  AND, now that she was not the only dog, she no longer had house privileges!

The Beast was very excited to have a new friend to play with.  Sugar just cried and looked at me, asking, 'When is That Dog going home?'  Imagine her dismay when I told her this WAS his home.

It took them a few days to become friends.  The Beast eventually settled down some (he's not as jumpy any more).  And while he still likes to jump on Sugar and hip check her, Sugar has gotten over her terror of him and will sometimes chase him.

THE END

'I don't like That Dog.  Send him home!'

Note to readers:  Rocky is a Bullmastiff.  This breed of dog is a natural born protector.  Bullmastiffs are social, very loyal and intelligent (in spite of what Sugar thinks...).  Rocky is named for the Rocky Mountains.  His previous family lived in Colorado for some time and wanted his name to remind them of their home there.

He is less than a year old, and will keep growing until he is about 3 1/2 yrs.  A male Bm will grow up to about 120 lbs.

I LOVE being brushed...

B and I have spent some extra time trying to make sure that Rocky feels like a part of the family.  With a dog that big, you want to make friends quickly!  :)  Rocky and Sugar had a rough time the first few days, but just a week later, they are already getting along as well as can be expected.  AND Sugar no longer cries when we leave the house for a few hours. BONUS!

Bold as a Lion

 Proverbs 28:1, "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."

I have been thinking about this post for months now - ummmm... as in since last October when we went to Ruaha.  Benjamin said he was going to be VERY disappointed if we didn't get to see lions on our safari.  I thought it would be pretty cool, but I would have been fine with not seeing them too.

We were blessed to encounter a small pride (6 females and two males) wandering lazily in search of shade.

We saw them walking along the dirt road and our driver drove a little closer, then turned off the engine.  They walked right past us, barely giving us a glance.

These pictures don't even pretend to do these majestic animals justice.  The size, the power, cannot be captured on film (okay, so maybe by a professional photographer with a really good camera without batteries that were almost dying...)

 At one point, they actually had our vehicle surrounded.  I was glad they didn't seem that energetic, as the whole top of our vehicle was open and it probably would have just taken a little leap for them to end our lives!

We were all struck by the nonchalance of these animals until our driver shared their 'secret'.  These animals have no natural predators.  Why would there be any fear in them if they have nothing to fear?

 A little while later, this verse came to mind - about the righteous being as bold as a lion.  The Strong's definition of bold is two-fold, meaning 'confident' and 'secure'.

So what is our key to being confident and secure as Christians?  It is to be righteous.  I am reminded of the words of Jesus in John 14:30, "...the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.'

Christ was living a righteous life.  There was no sin in him; therefore, the enemy had no power over him.

Our boldness, our confidence and security come from being covered by the righteousness of God.  By walking in HIS light, being obedient to HIM.

(Hope these pics aren't huge - I didn't compress them at all!!)                                   xoxo - Aud. :)