{"id":19831,"date":"2026-03-11T08:20:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T08:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/how-a-dad-and-his-dogs-show-kids-the-true-meaning-of-family\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:08:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:08:41","slug":"how-a-dad-and-his-dogs-show-kids-the-true-meaning-of-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/dogs\/how-a-dad-and-his-dogs-show-kids-the-true-meaning-of-family\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Dad\u2014and His Dogs\u2014Show Kids the True Meaning of Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

My 13-year-old son, Anthony, jumped out of bed one morning in March 2020 and asked me the question he\u2019d asked every day for the last eight weeks. \u201cAre we going to pick up the dog<\/a> today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Two months earlier, a couple from Texas had reached out to me on social media. Their goldendoodle was pregnant, and they wanted to give us one of the puppies as soon as they were weaned. I wasn\u2019t sure. As a single dad, I had my hands full. I had been struggling with getting Anthony, whom I\u2019d recently adopted, to trust that I was his forever family. Besides, I hadn\u2019t grown up with pets. I hadn\u2019t grown up with much of anything.<\/p>\n

I grew up in Uganda. My family was so poor that there wasn\u2019t enough food for us, let alone an animal companion<\/a>. The extreme poverty wasn\u2019t the worst part. My father beat my mother, my siblings and me every day. When I was 10, I ran away. I boarded a bus to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, more than 300 miles from home.<\/p>\n

For the next four years, I lived on the streets of Kampala. I spent my days at the produce market, offering to help customers bring purchases to their cars. As I carried their bags and boxes, I\u2019d snatch a piece of fruit or two. One day, a family gave me some food in exchange for my help. They continued doing so a few times a week. They were the only people to ask my name since I\u2019d left home.<\/p>\n

After nearly a year, they asked me to live with them and offered to pay for me to go to school, I asked, \u201cWhy would you do that for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man said, \u201cYou matter, Peter. You are brave, and we don\u2019t want you to be alone anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

His offer\u2014and his words\u2014seemed too good to be true. Still, I said yes because I would no longer go hungry.<\/p>\n

My foster parents enrolled me in a mission school that was affiliated with a Christian humanitarian organization. They taught me about a heavenly Father who loved me unconditionally. They not only told me I had value and potential, but they also showed me. Slowly, I grew to trust them. For the first time in my life, I felt seen and loved\u2014like I belonged in this world.<\/p>\n

After attending college in California on a scholarship, I accepted a job working as a translator and devoted my life to helping vulnerable children<\/a>. For the next 11 years, I traveled to 101 different countries to help children in need around the world. My faith grew, and I prayed that someday I would become a father.<\/p>\n

In 2016, I settled down in Oklahoma and bought a three-bedroom house. I got approved to be a foster parent and soon had kids filling the extra bedrooms. Now, here I was, four years later, with an adopted son who watched my every move, wondering if he could fully trust me. I hadn\u2019t planned on adopting Anthony. He was the eleventh and oldest child I\u2019d fostered, and I\u2019d taken him in at the last minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m taking a break from fostering,\u201d I told the caseworker who called about the placement in 2018. Four days earlier, I\u2019d had to say goodbye to the two brothers I\u2019d been fostering for seven months. My heart was hurting, but the caseworker talked me into taking Anthony, just for the weekend. I purposely didn\u2019t ask any questions about his situation because I didn\u2019t want to get attached.<\/p>\n

Anthony arrived in the middle of the night. \u201cCan I call you Dad?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you can call me Mr. Peter. You\u2019re only staying for the weekend, remember?\u201d I needed to keep my distance and protect my heart.<\/p>\n

Monday morning the caseworker came to pick up Anthony. I finally asked why he was in foster care.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis biological mother abandoned him when he was two,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was adopted, but it didn\u2019t work out. His adoptive parents dropped him off at the hospital when he was 11 and never came back. They relinquished their parenting rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will happen to him now?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head. \u201cHe has no family, and foster homes here are full. I\u2019ll have to take him to a group home.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at Anthony. Something in his eyes made me think of the scared, lonely boy I had once been<\/a>, living on the streets of Kampala. \u201cI\u2019ll take him,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

As the weeks went by, the more I saw of my younger self in Anthony. He read voraciously, helped around the house and asked me for very little. He was working too hard to please me\u2014a clear sign that he didn\u2019t trust my commitment to care for him.<\/p>\n

One afternoon, I came into the kitchen and Anthony immediately started cleaning up.<\/p>\n

I stopped him. Would he always wonder if I was going to give him up? \u201cYou don\u2019t need to work so hard,\u201d I said. \u201cThis is your forever home. You belong here. You can be yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged. \u201cI just don\u2019t want to mess this up.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart broke for him. I was more determined than ever to adopt him and make him feel loved.<\/p>\n

On November 12, 2019, Anthony\u2019s adoption was finalized. Being a dad was the dream I\u2019d prayed for, and it was finally coming true<\/a>. There in the courtroom, I hugged my son, silently pleading with God, Help Anthony trust me. Help him feel seen.<\/em><\/p>\n

In early 2020, we moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where I started a new job. Not long after, the couple in Texas offered us this puppy that Anthony couldn\u2019t stop thinking about. He had been asking about the dog ever since.<\/p>\n

That morning in March, he asked again. There was such hope in his eyes that I set aside my doubts. The puppy was weaned now. \u201cYes,\u201d I told Anthony, \u201cwe\u2019re going to get the dog today.\u201d<\/p>\n

We drove 16 hours to Texas to pick up our bundle of fur and energy. We chose the name Simba\u2014after the character in The Lion King<\/em>\u2014because Anthony wanted me to have a reminder of Africa. He was still trying to earn my approval.<\/p>\n

Simba was adorable, but he tested my patience (as puppies do, I\u2019ve learned). One day, he had an accident on the carpet. I sighed and reached for the cleaning supplies. Then I noticed Anthony was watching me intently. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Simba,\u201d I said. \u201cMistakes are a part of life. You belong here and we still love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anthony\u2019s shoulders relaxed. \u201cYeah, nothing you do can mess this up, Simba. We\u2019re family now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

More and more, I saw how our goldendoodle was the answer to prayer, an answer I would\u2019ve never imagined. Having this goofy pup around encouraged Anthony to relax, laugh, be silly. He was finally being himself. Even when Anthony was upset, Simba stuck by him, loving him no matter what<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anthony came to see that not only in Simba but in me as well. People can truly care about you\u2014a message he wanted to pass on to other foster kids.<\/p>\n

In 2020, Anthony and I started an organization called Now I Am Known<\/a>. The name comes from the affirming message my foster father gave me. Words that changed my life. You matter. You belong. You are seen and known. You are not alone.<\/em> I made a yellow bandana with those words printed on it and tied it around Simba\u2019s neck\u2014a constant reminder for Anthony and the foster kids that stay with us. We designed a plush Simba wearing the bandana. For each plushie we sell through our website, we donate one to an organization that helps vulnerable children.<\/p>\n

Last May, I realized that one dog wasn\u2019t enough for our family. We welcomed Rafiki the labradoodle, who, like Simba, was a gift from someone who\u2019d heard our story. I\u2019m currently fostering three children. The dogs keep the kids occupied, encourage family walks<\/a> and make the best cuddlers. Most of all, they show the kids what God wants all of us to know: You are loved.<\/em><\/p>\n

For daily animal devotions, subscribe to\u00a0<\/em>All God’s Creatures<\/strong><\/u><\/a>\u00a0magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My 13-year-old son, Anthony, jumped out of bed one morning in March 2020 and asked me the question he\u2019d asked every day for the last eight weeks. \u201cAre we going to pick up the dog today?\u201d Two months earlier, a couple from Texas had reached out to me on social media. Their goldendoodle was pregnant, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":28586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[201],"tags":[179,317,34,74,15,25,76,16,51,75,213],"ppma_author":[1392],"class_list":["post-19831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dogs","tag-adoption","tag-all-creatures","tag-child","tag-dogs","tag-faith","tag-family","tag-father","tag-god","tag-inspirational-stories","tag-pets","tag-son"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow a Dad\u2014and His Dogs\u2014Show Kids the True Meaning of Family - 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=\"How a Dad\u2014and His Dogs\u2014Show Kids the True Meaning of Family\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My 13-year-old son, Anthony, jumped out of bed one morning in March 2020 and asked me the question he\u2019d asked every day for the last eight weeks. \u201cAre we going to pick up the dog today?\u201d Two months earlier, a couple from Texas had reached out to me on social media. 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