Furry Blessings

By Richard C Smith

Have you ever wondered how people and objects get placed in your path in life? God always has a reason for the things he places in your path. This story is about a dog that was never supposed to take its first breath of air. Miraculously, Runt survives, with the help of Jeremiah and Elizabeth. Runt is soon taken from the farm he has grown to love. He is placed in a dangerous situation. Runt is now being used as a varmint hunter. He is now supposed to protect a dogfighter's prized dogs. He has given up on returning to the Smith farm. Just when he's settled in, his new home is raided by police. His new home is now the dog pound. Just when Runt has given up to life in the pound, he has hope. A young boy with a terminal illness decides to adopt him. Not because he is a great looking dog, but because Runt is missing hair just like the young boy. The boy begins to play again with his new blessing. One day, the young boy is experiencing seizures. Runt races to his room and simply comforts the boy. Miraculously, a bearded visitor heals both friends. With both parents of the boy present to witness the miracle, the Furry Blessings foundation is started. Runt is truly a Furry Blessing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781642587616

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Furry Blessings

Richard C Smith III

ISBN 978-1-64258-760-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64349-052-6 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-64258-761-6 (Digital)

Copyright © 2018 by Richard C Smith III

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

This book is dedicated to my momma, my wife Shelley, the wisdom of Pastor Bob Brock and to my daughters, Christina and Elizabeth.

Dreams do come true.

Chapter 1

Jeremiah Smith was a well-respected Christian farmer. The farm has been in his family for generations, originally settled by his great-grandfather. He has always done what he thought is right and has always sought out the Lord’s guidance. Something would happen today to change his life forever and test his faith to the limit.

As always, Jeremiah awoke at five in the morning to start his day off. Normally, his day would start out with a cup of coffee before he started his chores. His chores had always been to milk his cow and then feed the cattle. After he had finished getting his breakfast milk and dropped it off in the kitchen, he proceeded to the fields. His first stop was to load up the hay bale in his truck. Then the second stop was dropping the hay off in the fields for the cattle. The cattle would normally wait at the same spot they always were, right next to the highway. As Jeremiah drove the truck to his drop-off spot, he noticed that the cattle were keeping a distance from the fence. He dropped off the hay and wondered why the cattle didn’t come stampeding to breakfast. Something caused him to turn around toward the road. As he peered over the fence, he noticed something furry lying next to the road. Grief overcame him as he thought that another poor animal had been run over. He wobbled as he climbed over the barbed wire fence. When he had finally got to the other side of the fence, he noticed the furry animals head was trying to raise itself. He rushed over and knelt by the animal. When he recognized it was a dog, he carefully picked it up in his arms. After he had squeezed through the fence, he laid the dog in the back of his pickup and rushed back to his house.

Elizabeth, Jeremiah’s wife, was in the kitchen fixing some breakfast when she noticed Jeremiah coming back from the fields early. She rushed out of the kitchen to meet Jeremiah on the front porch. Puzzled, she watched as Jeremiah rushed to the back of his truck. When she saw him picking up something furry from his truck, she grabbed a blanket from the chair on the porch and rushed to his side. Before she could say anything, Jeremiah said, I found this poor dog lying next to the road. I was going to bury it when I noticed her head moving. I brought it back to the house to see if I could help it. Elizabeth smiled at Jeremiah’s love and compassion for hurt animals. She knew that if the animal was to be saved, Jeremiah could do it. Two months earlier, one of the young calves had gotten tangled in the barbed wire fence. Jeremiah had stayed up all night washing the calf’s wounds. He had even spent the night in the barn with the calf to make sure it would be okay. The next morning, Elizabeth grinned as Jeremiah rushed the calf out into field as if returning a wild animal back into the wild. This was just one example of Jeremiah’s compassion that Elizabeth had learned to love.

Jeremiah noticed the dog had problems with its hind legs. He figured the dog must have been hit in the hip by an automobile. As he carefully moved each leg, he noticed that the dog was uncomfortable. He got a bowl of milk and sat down next to the dog. Elizabeth had gotten a pillow and Jeremiah had placed the dog on top of it. As Jeremiah began to feed the milk to the dog with a spoon, the dog began inhaling the milk as if it hadn’t eaten in a while. Jeremiah smiled up at Elizabeth. They both knew the poor dog would be fine. It obviously had its appetite back and they could tell the dog had no major pain. With each day, the dog began to get its strength back. Jeremiah would not leave the dog alone, except to do his daily chores. Elizabeth would nurse the dog while Jeremiah was working the farm.

A week had passed, and the dog was up and completely healed. The dog always went with Jeremiah every morning to feed the cattle. After the cattle had been fed, the dog would lay next to Jeremiah as he milked the cow in the barn. Jeremiah and Elizabeth had named the dog Angel. They both agreed that this dog definitely had a guardian angel that day on the road. Hence, they agreed on naming the dog Angel.

Every evening, after the local weather report, Jeremiah and Elizabeth would retire to the front porch. Angel always lay between the both of them. For a brief moment, Jeremiah and Elizabeth had forgotten about the pain they had felt the past few years. Jeremiah and Elizabeth had tried to have children, but were unsuccessful. On three separate occasions, Elizabeth had become pregnant. Every time, a few months into the pregnancy, Elizabeth would miscarry. With each attempt and failure, their pain grew. They both wanted a child so bad. Jeremiah just wanted a child to eventually hand the farm down to as his ancestors had done before him. They had both given up and accepted their fate. Then Angel had come along. They finally had a little happiness in their life. Angel seemed to replace the pain of not having a child. Both of them began to treat Angel just like they would have treated a child. Angel ate with them, slept in their bedroom, and went to church on Sundays with them. What a sight it was driving to church with Angel sitting in the middle of the front seat of Jeremiah’s truck. Angel normally stayed outside as the two of them participated inside the church.

Angel had become more and more at home on the farm. She had begun taking strolls farther and farther away from the house. Most of the time, Angel would leave after Jeremiah had finished his daily chores. It seemed, after breakfast had been served, Jeremiah and Angel would go do their own thing and meet for supper. On occasion, when Jeremiah would have to repair part of the farm fence, Angel would wander up. Jeremiah always ran into Angel at different parts of the day, so Jeremiah didn’t worry too much.

One evening, after the weather report, all three were sitting on the front porch. Jeremiah noticed Angel’s ears stand straight up. As Jeremiah observed Angel’s reactions, he quickly discovered the reason. Far in the distance, he heard a coyote howling. The sound was followed by other coyotes howling. Jeremiah hadn’t heard coyotes for quite some time. Jeremiah and Elizabeth began to talk about the sound getting closer and closer to their farm. Their only worry was the livestock being in danger. As Jeremiah noticed Angel leaving the porch, he called her to come back. Angel turned her head around to look at Jeremiah. She looked at him as if to say that she needed to go investigate the strange noise and protect them. She quickly returned to Jeremiah and Elizabeth’s side and lay down. This was not the last they would hear from the wild dogs.

One morning, Jeremiah and Angel were milking the barn cow, when Angel began to growl. Jeremiah became worried when Angel refused to stop. He carefully stood straight up next to Angel sensing something was not right. Jeremiah began to pray that one of the coyotes had not ventured onto his farm. No sooner did he dismiss the thought, Angel lunged forward and ran around the corner of the barn. Jeremiah speedily raced after Angel. As he turned the corner, he smiled when he saw Angel. She had a huge rat in the corner of her mouth. Angel had spotted the rat climbing down the barn wall. As she noticed the rat exiting the barn, she took the shortcut to beat the rat to the outside of the barn. There she had confronted the varmint and killed it. Jeremiah patted Angel and said, Good dog! Way to protect your home, girl! She dropped the rat at Jeremiah’s feet. He grabbed the varmint with his gloves and took it to the trash can. Angel followed with wagging tail in tow. She was so proud of herself, and Jeremiah’s smile made her prance even more.

It was now time for lunch, so Jeremiah and Angel proceeded to the house. As they both enjoyed their lunch that Elizabeth had prepared, Jeremiah told Elizabeth about the rat. Jeremiah discussed the possible problem of rats invading their farm with Elizabeth. When Elizabeth suggested getting a cat to combat the problem, Angel seemed to get irritated. As Jeremiah looked at Angel, her tail was wagging with anticipation. Jeremiah smiled and realized what Angel was thinking. As Jeremiah patted Angel’s head, he said to Elizabeth that he would see how Angel took care of the problem. Elizabeth smiled and agreed and said, I agree, but if Angel cannot get rid of the rats, we have to get a cat. I don’t want rats moving into my house. You know how rats give me the willies!

Angel hunted the rats down vigorously. She had begun laying every dead rat she killed on the front porch. Jeremiah would usually intercept the rats before Elizabeth stumbled onto them. He grinned and told Angel, What are you doing girl? Letting Elizabeth know you are doing your job? Before long, the rat problem had disappeared. On occasion, Jeremiah would find a rat dead on the porch. Just like every other time, he quickly disposed of the carcass.

One evening, they were all sitting on the front porch. The evening was perfect. They had witnessed a beautiful sunset. There was a cool breeze blowing in from the north. Things seemed to be getting along quite nice. As Jeremiah and Elizabeth stood up to end the picture-perfect evening, the silence was broken. Angel stood straight up and Jeremiah heard a familiar sound. The coyotes were back. Jeremiah began wondering what had happened to the wild dogs. He figured they had moved on. This time was different though. The dogs were making a different howl. It seemed to affect Angel in a different way also. She used to venture only about one hundred feet from the porch. This night, she ran off to the other side of the barn. Jeremiah ran into the house and returned with his Winchester. Elizabeth became worried and told Jeremiah to be careful. They both knew the sound was coming from their farm just on the other side of the barn. He quickly returned from the barn with Angel in tow. He sat down on the porch swing next to Elizabeth and placed the rifle next to the swing, against the wall. He turned to Elizabeth and said, I’m worried about Angel. She has never run off like that. I don’t know what I would do if she runs after the dogs and doesn’t return. Angel had become more of a daughter to them than a pet. Elizabeth looked back at Jeremiah and reassured, Angel will be just fine. If you want, we can get her a yard leash to keep her closer to the house.

As Jeremiah thought about this, he answered, We can’t do that. Angel is used to being able to roam and protect the farm. I will just keep a more watchful eye over her. She will be okay.

Jeremiah grabbed Angel and they retired to bed. As Jeremiah lay in his bed, he noticed Angel never laid her head down on her bed, which Jeremiah had placed next to his bed. Angel stood up and ran toward the window. Jeremiah leaped out of bed and joined her at the window ledge. He noticed a shadow run by the barn. He grabbed his rifle and bolted through the front door. As Angel raced off the front porch, Jeremiah quickly followed. Angel began sniffing around the barn. Jeremiah investigated the area and found a coyote track in the dirt. Angel’s ears perked straight up as Jeremiah heard the coyotes’ call. This time, the howl was a lot closer than before. As Jeremiah shined his flashlight into the field, he saw the culprit running off into the night. He knew that would be, hopefully, the last time tonight they would be contacted by the wild dogs. This time, when they both returned to the bedroom, Angel lay right down and closed her eyes. As Jeremiah kissed Elizabeth good night, he fell fast asleep with Angel now resting.

The next morning, Jeremiah awoke to his morning chores. He had noticed something funny happening with Angel. She was acting very peculiar. Jeremiah was surprised when it had finally hit him. He noticed that Angel had the symptoms of a dog in heat. After further examination of Angel, Jeremiah’s wonder was confirmed. He finished up his chores and returned back to the house. He sat down with Elizabeth and informed her of his discovery. They both began to discuss why this had not happened before. Jeremiah told Elizabeth that Angel must be a lot younger than they had originally thought. Jeremiah would now have to watch Angel more closely. They, for sure, didn’t want Angel venturing off after the wild dogs. Elizabeth shook her finger at Angel and said, Well, girl, you will be staying closer to home now. Jeremiah, I think we should really consider getting that yard leash. At least until Angel is out of heat. Angel looked at both of them as if she knew what they were discussing. Jeremiah agreed and told Elizabeth that he would get the leash tomorrow because they could not afford any more animals, especially a new litter of puppies.

It was just after lunch when Jeremiah returned from the local pet store. He went to the front of the house and emptied the contents out of the bag he had in hand. A long swirly piece of metal, along with about three hundred feet of chain came rolling out. As he began screwing the piece of metal into the ground, Angel came trotting over. Angel looked at the contents on the ground and then Jeremiah screwing the metal into the ground. She quickly left Jeremiah’s side and returned to the porch where she laid down. Elizabeth, seeing what Angel had done, came out of the house and walked up to Jeremiah. I think Angel knows what you are doing. She laughed. Jeremiah looked up at Angel on the porch. He stood up and looked at Elizabeth.

He told her, Poor Angel, she looks like she just got jail time. I hope her heat process will go quickly. Elizabeth reassured Jeremiah that this was the best and only thing they could do to keep Angel from wandering off.

Jeremiah finished with the new yard leash and whistled for Angel to come over. Angel’s head rose up off the porch floor. As she saw Jeremiah holding the leash, her head laid back down on the porch. Jeremiah shook his head and walked up onto the porch. He physically picked Angel up and took her to the chain. As he put the collar on her, she began to squirm. Jeremiah sadly told Angel that this leash was for her own good. Obviously Angel disagreed when she felt the weight of the chain. Jeremiah finished hooking Angel up and stood up next to her. Come on, girl, it’s not that bad. You won’t be stuck to the chain for too long. You might as well make the best of it. Jeremiah returned back to the porch and sat down to watch Angel’s response to the chain. Angel began to sniff at the chain and walk with it in tow. She looked over at Jeremiah and wandered toward the porch. By this time, Elizabeth had joined Jeremiah on the porch. As Angel dragged the chain up the porch, Angel noticed that she could still lie down next to them. As long as Angel could still lie down on the front porch, she didn’t mind so much. Jeremiah patted Angel on the head and told Elizabeth he was going to check up on the cattle. As Jeremiah climbed into his truck, Angel came running. She quickly found out that the chain was not that long. She was quickly yanked back. She could only get about one hundred feet from the barn, which is as far as Jeremiah wanted her to get. As Jeremiah drove through the gate to the fields, he could see Angel lying on the ground. He began to feel sorry for his hairy daughter. He knew this was best for the time being.

It wasn’t long that Angel’s heat was over. She was so happy to be off her chain. No sooner did Jeremiah take her off than Angel began running around the farm strutting her newfound freedom. As soon as Jeremiah climbed into his truck to go check the cattle, Angel took one leap and ended up in the back of it. Jeremiah laughed at her eagerness for a ride and so did Elizabeth. Jeremiah arrived at where the cattle were and he was stricken with worry. He saw a pair of coyote tracks. The coyotes were back, and this time they were wandering up to the cattle. He had never seen tracks near the cattle. The wild dogs were getting brave. There were no visible signs that the cows had been attacked, but Jeremiah could not tell with so many cows together. He had noticed the cows were sticking particularly close together. This past spring, he had four new calves and wanted to take extra precautions with them. He rounded up the calves and momma cows and put them into his barn. Being that Angel was out of heat, Jeremiah let her stay outside at night to warn him of any predators.

Angel had watched over the new cows for about a week. She slept