{"id":19789,"date":"2026-03-11T08:16:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T08:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/her-dog-taught-her-to-let-go-and-let-god\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:08:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:08:37","slug":"her-dog-taught-her-to-let-go-and-let-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/dogs\/her-dog-taught-her-to-let-go-and-let-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Her Dog Taught Her to Let Go and Let God"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The call came one September morning, before I\u2019d had my coffee. \u201cJulie, he\u2019s drinking again.\u201d Our family member had relapsed. Not for the first time. I got off the phone and felt myself slipping too. Not by drinking, but by \u201cstinking thinking,\u201d the distorted thought patterns that had made my life unmanageable. Overanalyzing. Obsessing. Trying to control things.<\/p>\n<p>Clyde, our four-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, came into the kitchen as I poured my coffee, prancing as much as a 100-pound dog could prance. He knew it was time for a walk. \u201cYou\u2019re always happy, aren\u2019t you, buddy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shopguideposts.org\/microsite\/index\/load\/id\/129\/?___store=guideposts&amp;sourcekey=4AX219006A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong>Get the new daily devotion for animal lovers!<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I drank my coffee, imagining worst-case scenarios involving this family member who\u2019d fallen off the wagon. One phone call, and my 20 years of Al-Anon recovery work went out the window. I didn\u2019t want to think about <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/addiction-and-recovery\/12-step-sayings-for-everyone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the 12 Steps<\/a> right now. I\u2019d rather worry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome on, Clyde. Let\u2019s go on a walk.\u201d He charged ahead of me to the back door.<\/p>\n<p>Would I ever reach a point where letting go and letting <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/dogs\/her-dog-protected-her-from-harm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">God came naturally to me<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>I got my iPod and decided to forgo Clyde\u2019s leash. He never wandered off, not even to chase squirrels. And we live way back in the woods on several acres. You can\u2019t see our log cabin from the road. Our gravel driveway is a third of a mile long, with plenty of space to walk. I stepped out into the stifling heat\u2014that\u2019s September in Georgia for you\u2014slipped in my earbuds and cranked up my music, trying to drown out my thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;d talked to B.J., my Al-Anon sponsor, a few months earlier about another situation I had to relinquish. \u201cJulie,\u201d she\u2019d said, \u201cyou have no control over how the world turns. God does that all on his own. Your job is to let go and trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Besides being my sponsor, B.J. is an animal lover. She was thrilled when we got Clyde. The breeder let us have him at only six weeks old. I thought maybe we\u2019d gotten him too young. B.J. assured me he\u2019d be fine, and she was right.<\/p>\n<p>Watching Clyde sniff the trees along the driveway, I remembered Cooper, our black Lab, who had died at 15. The two dogs were totally different in appearance and personality.\u00a0Clyde didn\u2019t have Cooper\u2019s handsome show-dog body type. Barrel-chested with long skinny legs, he outweighed Cooper by 15 pounds. Clyde was top-heavy, a bit odd looking, but what a personality! Laid-back and loyal. A dog who wanted nothing more than to be with his people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClyde, you don&#8217;t know how to worry, do you, buddy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He grinned at me and kept walking. We got <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/angels-and-miracles\/miracles\/gods-grace\/miracle-in-the-mailbox\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to the mailbox<\/a> at the end of the driveway and circled back toward home. Maybe 50 feet from the road, I noticed he wasn\u2019t with me. How could that be? He always stuck close. I ripped out my earbuds. With my music playing so loudly, I wouldn\u2019t have heard anything else. Not barking. Not a car horn or brakes squealing. I looked around. No sign of him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClyde, come!\u201d He wasn\u2019t hard-headed. If he could hear me, he\u2019d come running.<\/p>\n<p>I rushed back down the driveway. Then I spotted him, limping toward me. His right hip swayed inward with each step. Blood covered his paws. He wagged his tail and collapsed at my feet. <em>Must have been hit by a car. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>He quivered. Breathed rapidly, in spurts. <em>Gotta get him to the vet. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>He was too big for me to carry. I had no choice but to try to get him to walk. \u201cClyde, come.\u201d He gazed at me with his amber-gold eyes and unfolded his gazellelike legs. Then he stood. \u201cHeel,\u201d I said, patting my leg. Slowly, step-by-step, he walked with me to the car 250 feet away.<\/p>\n<p>Each step of the way, guilt lashed at me. If only I had used a leash. Or watched him closer. Or not taken my iPod. Or been paying attention and not obsessing.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, we made it to the car. I managed to get him into the back seat. I texted B.J. \u201cPray. On my way to the vet. Clyde got hit by a car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Minutes later, we were in an exam room. The vet made no promises. Clyde might have a pneumothorax, an abnormal accumulation of air between his lungs and his chest wall, making it difficult for him to breathe. She wanted to keep him for X-rays and tests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome dogs don\u2019t survive this kind of injury,\u201d she said. \u201cHe might also have a fractured hip. If his breathing worsens, we\u2019ll transfer him to a larger animal hospital, where they can monitor him overnight. Call around four this afternoon. I should know more by then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I glanced at my watch. Nine-thirty. Could I wait until four?\u00a0Before I left, I kissed Clyde\u2019s head. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, buddy. I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Back home, I replayed every detail of the morning\u2014like I\u2019d done for years with family members\u2014wishing I could have a do-over.\u00a0By lunchtime, I couldn\u2019t wait any longer. I had to go check on him. On my way to the vet\u2019s office, my cell phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>It was B.J. \u201cHey, kiddo,\u201d she said. \u201cYou doing okay?\u201d I filled her in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know what to do, right?\u201d she said. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have been so careless. If only I hadn\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJulie, things happen in life that are beyond our control. It was an accident. You need to let go. Trust God with Clyde. No matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/daily-devotions\/devotions-for-faith-prayer\/let-go-and-let-god\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Let go and let God.<\/em><\/a> How many times had I heard this\u2014about family members, work concerns, other worries?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re going to be okay,\u201d B.J. said. \u201cGod\u2019s in control.\u201d It felt as if she was preparing me for Clyde to die.\u00a0We said goodbye and I pulled into the parking lot at the vet\u2019s. Did I trust God? Really trust him? No matter what?<\/p>\n<p>Just for today, could I let go of Clyde and everyone else in my life? I looked at my hands clutching the steering wheel. I loosened my grip, took my hands off the wheel and turned them over. Palms open, <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/bible_verse\/2-corinthians-416\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">facing toward heaven<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Father, I don\u2019t feel very\u00a0strong right now. Will you help me release Clyde and my entire family to your care? You know best. <\/em>I walked into the vet\u2019s office and went to the front desk. \u201cI\u2019m early. I just wanted to check on Clyde.\u201d The receptionist led the way to the\u00a0same exam room. \u201cThe doctor wants to talk to you. Have a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Whatever she says, whatever the outcome, Lord, I trust you. <\/em>The vet came in. \u201cClyde is such a sweetheart,\u201d she said, holding X-rays and several bottles of medication. \u201cHe has a pneumothorax\u2014a collapsed lung\u2014but no broken bones. That barrel chest of his saved his life. He\u2019s one tough dog. He needs lots of rest, but he\u2019s going to be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s okay? Really? He\u2019s going to make it?\u201d I could hardly believe it. \u201cOh, thank you! Can I see him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sure can. <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/dogs\/a-veteran-shares-how-a-stray-dog-changed-his-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">He\u2019s going home with you<\/a>.\u201d A tech brought Clyde into the exam room. He took a few wobbly steps toward me, wagging his tail. He plopped his big head in my lap and licked my hands. I wrapped my arms around his neck.<\/p>\n<p>In the car I called B.J. \u201cGuess what? Clyde is all right. He\u2019s with me now. Can you believe it?\u201d \u201cSure I can! Give him a hug for me. And remember, any time you feel the urge to worry or try to control things, you know what that means.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYep. I need to <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/dogs\/bellas-blessing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">let go and let God<\/a>. Again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne more thing. No matter what had happened with Clyde, you\u2019d have been okay, kiddo.\u201d I believed her. With everything I had, I believed her. \u201cWe need to keep letting go every day for the rest of our lives,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s no other way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I glanced in the rearview mirror at Clyde, who was looking right at me. He\u2019d wandered off, and I\u2019d done the same thing. I\u2019d taken a wrong turn, drifted from my Master\u2019s side, but now Clyde and I were headed home.<\/p>\n<p><em>Did you enjoy this story? Subscribe to<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/our-magazines\/all-creatures-the-animals-who-share-our-lives\"><strong>All Creatures<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<em>magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The call came one September morning, before I\u2019d had my coffee. \u201cJulie, he\u2019s drinking again.\u201d Our family member had relapsed. Not for the first time. I got off the phone and felt myself slipping too. Not by drinking, but by \u201cstinking thinking,\u201d the distorted thought patterns that had made my life unmanageable. Overanalyzing. Obsessing. Trying [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":28565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[201],"tags":[194,216,74,75],"ppma_author":[1363],"class_list":["post-19789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dogs","tag-addiction","tag-alcoholism","tag-dogs","tag-pets"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Her Dog Taught Her to Let Go and Let God - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Her Dog Taught Her to Let Go and Let God\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The call came one September morning, before I\u2019d had my coffee. \u201cJulie, he\u2019s drinking again.\u201d Our family member had relapsed. Not for the first time. I got off the phone and felt myself slipping too. Not by drinking, but by \u201cstinking thinking,\u201d the distorted thought patterns that had made my life unmanageable. Overanalyzing. Obsessing. 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