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October-December, 2021

Love from a Borador

by Rev. Larry Glenz, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

Three months ago my life changed. I rescued a “Borador.”

I have been wanting to get a dog for a long time now. My wife and I have been together for about 25 years. And this is about the same time frame that I have lived without a dog in my home.

As every new dog owner must realize, there is a relinquishment of freedom that comes along with the responsibility of making sure a new dog is properly cared for. A new dog can also cause chaos in the house if not properly trained and supervised. My wife has said she is not really a “dog person.”

For the past few years, I have been turning to Holy Spirit on the issue of acquiring a nice dog that my wife Laura will love. You know the type — one that doesn’t bark, shed, pee, poop, or chew on our possessions. A dog that can watch itself and feed itself while we go traveling. Yes, I knew this was going to be a struggle.

Listening to Laura’s reasons why we shouldn’t have a dog made me resentful. It appeared that a dog was going to cause trouble concerning my 20-year marriage. We had some serious arguments about it.

Time and time again, I asked Holy Spirit to help me see this differently.

Nevertheless, my desire for a young dog that I could personally train started to become a bit of an obsession. I didn’t yet own a dog but was watching YouTube videos continuously on how to train one. I talked with every dog owner I saw.

My condo in Florida where I spend the winter also discourages dog ownership. However, there is a loophole. The condo board can’t stop me if I get a registered “therapy dog.” I was told by some small dog owners that getting the paperwork for a registered therapy dog was not very difficult.

Still most important, was getting Laura’s permission to bring a dog into our home and life. This certainly would be the most challenging obstacle. But after many months of discussion, I guess Holy Spirit finally weakened her resolve. Once I got the reluctant “OK” from her, I expected to get a dog quickly.

It turned out that rescuing a dog during COVID-19 was almost as difficult and complicated as adopting a baby. Everyone in the family had to be interviewed. A virtual home inspection of every room in my home had to be examined by the officials of the animal shelters. My wife was questioned about why she has never owned a dog. She was asked what she would do with the dog if I passed away. Neither of us liked being grilled by the officials of the dog shelters despite the fact that they were well-meaning advocates for the animals.

Then I was rejected from adopting a dog I wanted because I do not have a back yard in my condo unit. I live across the street from a glorious ocean beach on the south shore of Long Island with a two mile boardwalk running parallel to the shoreline But dogs are not allowed on the beach or on the boardwalk at any time.

I was angry. Countless obstacles seemed to stand in my way. I felt like I was ready to give up.

But I have angels watching over me. I had been asking the spirits of my mom and dad to help me find a dog that Laura will love. They were dog lovers all during their lives. I asked them, as Holy Spirit’s assistants, to help me.

It took a long time with frustration seeming to accompany my search in every way. I certainly cannot say I was patient. But I did keep asking for Holy Spirit’s help.

While Laura was in New Jersey celebrating her 60th birthday week with her sisters, I had an appointment to view the dogs at the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington. There, I found a 1-year old, 44 lb. black lab mix that was rescued from GA.

I instantly fell in love.

The dog was certainly larger than the under 25 pounds size we had agreed upon. I had also promised Laura I would not get a dog without her seeing it first with me.

I called her on Face Time to show her the dog. She was in the middle of opening her presents from her sisters and I found her to be in an ebullient mood.

When I focused the camera on the dog, she asked him, “Are you going to love me, doggie?” The dog jumped up on the bars of the crate and licked my iPhone. Laura said, “Look, he’s kissing me.” I said, “Yep, the dog loves you.”

Within a minute I got Laura’s okay to adopt the dog. My thought was, “Holy Spirit certainly provided the perfect timing for me on this.” While waiting to fill out the paper work for adoption, I felt the presence of my mom and dad telling me, “We got you a really great dog!”

Those two angels were speaking the truth! Laura fell in love with the dog almost instantly. We named him, Buddha. And he is the most loving and lovable dog I could have ever have hoped for.

It has been just over three months now and Buddha has settled in to our home beautifully. He destroyed quite a few things in the first couple of months by not knowing what he could or could not chew. But thankfully, that seems to have run its course.

I found a dog trainer who I had coached in football and lacrosse 20 years ago. He said, “Coach, it’s now time for me to coach you!” He has been a joy to work with.

While walking Buddha, a man stopped his car and said, “Looks like you have the perfect “Borador” there! I asked him to explain and he said, “Just Google “Borador” and then he drove away.

I googled Borador immediately. Up came a few photos that look just like Buddha. It said:

“The Borador (also called Border Lab) is a cross between a Border Collie and Labrador Retriever. Outgoing, curious, and energetic, these pups inherited the best qualities from both their parents.”

Laura, previously not a dog lover, is over the moon about Buddha. He is a black dog with a white chest and paws. I tell people my wife has been seduced by a guy in a black tuxedo.
My three young granddaughters now think I’m cool because of this great dog.

So much to be grateful for. Thank you, Mom and Dad. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Thanks for so much love from Buddha the Borador.

© 2021, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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