For the love of a dog

From the second Marty Preston saw the beagle shivering in the woods he knew he would do whatever it took to get that dog.  Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Shiloh is the story of 11 year old Marty's quest to own a beagle.  The only problem is that this is not some stray Marty saw in the woods, this beagle is meant to be a hunting dog, this beagle has an owner, and the owner does not like to give stuff away.  Marty knows all of this but he keeps trying anyways.  Why?  Because he loves that dog.

"Jesus" I [Marty] whisper finally, "which you want be to do? Be one hundred percent honest and carry that dog back to Judd so that one of your creatures can be kicked and starved all over again, or keep him here and fatten him up to glorify your creatiIon?" Marty is desperate for this dog, he knows the honest thing to do is to return it-but is the honest thing the right thing? As Marty says, "A lie don't seem a lie anymore when it's meant to save a dog, and right and wrong's all mixed up in my head."

Why does he do it?  Because he loves that dog.  And, "Nobody else loves you as much as a dog.  Except your ma, maybe."  People go above and beyond for love.  I identify with Marty.  Last week my boyfriend and I were dogsitting.  I feel in love with that dog instantaneously-dogs can do that, loving people takes time.  One night we let her out before bed and she ran through her electric fence.  We spent the next two hours searching for her in the pouring rain.  Why?  Because we loved that dog.  Sure you can say we had a responsibility to the owners, and we didn't want to get in trouble...but I think what it really comes down to was we loved that dog and we wanted her safe with us.  Don't worry the dog came back the next morning (after a sleepless night).

I remember how relieved I was when I saw that dog on the porch first thing in the morning.  I wanted to throw a party.  When Marty's family found out that they could keep Shiloh they did have a party."  I get home that evening and Ma's baked a chocolate layer cake to celebrate-a real cake too, not no Betty Crocker."

Loving a dog...that's kids stuff.