THE BORDER COLLIE AND THE TRUNK

By Doug Ford, DVM, Production Animal Consultation, & Greg Quakenbush, DVM, Geissler Corp.

When most people take inventory, they can count on one hand the number of true friends they had at the end of their journey here on earth. Dedicated friends, the kind that call you for no reason sensing the need to just check in, friends who lend a listening ear of support in times of trouble, or friends who call just because you were on their mind are a special gift. True friendships transcend decades of time. Often you may not have spoken for months or even years and that special bond of a true friend reignites magically at hello, restoring lost time in an instant.

Like most large animal practitioners, I can honestly say my quiver is filled with an abundance of dedicated friends. Friends I can call at 2:00 am with any need and they will be there unconditionally. When the seed of devotion and loyalty is planted in a fertile relationship, it will abound much like our relationship with the Lord.

One such lifelong friendship that comes to mind is my good friend Kent Jolly. Kent was one of the first ranchers I had the privilege to work with straight out of vet school. Rightfully so, he was a little skeptical of his young, green, rookie veterinarian. Today we laugh about the “good old days.” I remember how he used to tell his neighbors, “The kid kills everything he touches, but I just like the way he goes about it.” All kidding aside, we have had a great run developing his herd of traditional mother cows, his herd of Corriente roping calves, and restoring to soundness many in his large remuda of ranch horses.

Today Kent is pushing 80 years old. His weathered face and hands are a testimony to his rancher heritage in the short grass country of Agate, Colorado. The past few years I notice he has started wearing suspenders, the result of 75 years in the saddle grinding his posterior anatomy to a relatively flat surface. Nowadays we see each other once or twice a year at fall preg check or testing bulls and look forward to exchanging those “remember when” stories that become more magnificent each time they are told. Sometimes while reflecting on the specific details of a wild cow tale, he will interject a “Yeah, yeah, I ‘member now, Doc. That’s the way it was and that’s no bull.”

One of my favorite quirky traits about Kent is he will seldom say hello but will always open the day with a politically incorrect redneck story or joke. This fall he remained true to form. With a sober straight face, his one-liner for the day was, “Doc, you know how to tell who loves you more, your wife or your Border Collie?” For a moment I stood speechless, desperately grasping for an answer to his pondering question of cowboy philosophy and logic. The punch line was poised on the tip of his tongue but took a tiny bit of coaxing. Then it came, as the corner of his mouth pulled to one side in a half-hearted grin that was about to become a boisterous laugh. “Lock ‘em both in the trunk of your car for an hour and see who is happiest to see you when you pop the lid.” Sorry, I had to laugh!

For a moment, I could only imagine my wife Jan emerging from a tomb-like trunk, displaying less than her usual kind, cordial, loving manner. All this while simultaneously searching for blood pressure meds to relieve the pressure on her capillary-filled bright red face. Realistically, if the roles were reversed, my response would be identical. Additionally, I would come out swinging. Few people would do well in that situation. Maybe this medieval cowboy tactic could become a revolutionary groundbreaking therapy for self-control and anger management. On the other hand, Border Collies are a different story. Anyone who has Border Collies knows that man’s best friend would emerge from the temporary tomb elated to see its master and the sunlight above. The dog would make a beeline for its redeemer, darting, ducking, rolling, jumping, while licking his savior’s face uncontrollably.

As it turns out the Apostle Paul had a trunk experience as he wrote much of the New Testament from prison while chained between two guards. When not in prison, his ministry travels frequently resulted in beatings, abuse, torture, and rejection. Rejection is often worse than all the physical components thrown together. Ask Jesus!

In the following writings from Paul in prison, note his demeanor and attitude in a sampling of his letters (emphasis added).

Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB 1995) 6“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 2:7 (NASB 1995) “having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

Colossians 3:17 (NASB 1995) “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

The Apostle Paul always used his time in prison to draw close to the Lord, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. He was unshakeable. He was never bitter, angered, or in doubt, but he chose to love, trust, forgive, and grow in Christ.

Question: Does your mind dwell on truth, what is right, what is honorable, what is pure, what is lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy? Do you dwell in peace, extending grace? The Bible commands us to dwell on these things, confidently trusting in the Master. So, when faced with an hour in the trunk of life, are you at peace with a positive outlook and ready to face any challenge? Are you taking everything to the Father in prayer? Trusting that you are exactly where you are supposed to be like the Border Collie? Or are you a victim?

Kent, thank you for 43 years of unconditional friendship!

Digging Deeper

Would you be surprised to know that relationships and friendships are a key theme and continuous cord throughout the Bible? Going back to the beginning in Genesis, God was actively and sequentially creating the world and the life that was to inhabit His creation. Throughout the successive days of creation, He constantly and consistently declared that His work of creation was good . That continued until Genesis 2:18 when God took note that Adam was alone. At this point

God stated that “It is not good for the man to be alone” (emphasis added) and God committed to make for Adam a helper and companion.

Have you ever stopped to consider what life would be like without the presence of others? No companions, no friends, no family, no interactions. Just you and you alone. After reflecting a bit on this, it becomes easy to see God’s point that it is “not good” to be alone. In fact, it is truly devastating.

God created us “hard wired” for companionship and relationship. It is the fulfillment of this need that makes life worth living. Wholesome (Biblical) relationships are what makes life rewarding, joyful, fulfilling, and more. We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and designed to love Him and have a relationship with Him. This sets us apart from the rest of creation. The ability to love God and others is the “secret sauce” of life and a component enjoyed by no other created living thing.

Given the impact and influence that friends and companions have on one another, the Bible provides extensive direction and instruction regarding true friendship. What has to be the most defining and impactful Bible verse on friendship is found in John 15:13 (ESV): “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” This quote is so staggering that there is no adequate response. What more could be done to define or demonstrate love for another and the ultimate sacrifice of a true friend?

Is John 15:13 a quote from John the apostle? No. It is a quote from Jesus Himself. It gets better. Jesus speaking in John 15:14 (ESV) says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” How is it even conceivable that Jesus calls us “friends”? It is possible because this is why we were created in the first place. Sin and evil have sought to destroy this relationship since the beginning of time, but now we see that friendship with Jesus/God is at the core of the Gospel message. John 3:16 (NASB): “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”

One other thought...

Dr. Doug’s story on friendship not only put a smile on our faces but it served to set the stage to probe the critical role true friendship plays in our lives. As we dig deeper into the spiritual aspects of friendship, we can now better understand that it is a core component to a life well lived now and into eternity.

The “trunk” was part of the punchline of a joke. What we all instinctively know is that a real-life trunk encounter will be experienced by all of us at some point in time. Isolation, pain, aloneness, hopelessness, fear, darkness, rejection, and the list can go on. Illness, divorce, prison, cancer, disasters, disabilities, financial loss, loss of loved ones, loss of work, and so forth bring the pain and dread of the “trunk” experience to bold reality.

What determines your response to the trunk-trials of life? Maybe there is something to be learned from the Border Collie and his response upon release. What would give the Border Collie an edge over his typical human counterpart? He was excited upon being set free, and if you are reading this and know Border Collies, you can easily visualize his ecstatic response.

James 1:2-5 (NASB) speaks to success in the endurance of trials: 2“Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

Hard to imagine that one is to consider trials with “all joy”. That seems super-human. Maybe that is why the Border Collie passed the test. It is not too big of a stretch to understand the dog knows and trusts his Master. The dog was not alone in the trunk. He lived in anticipation of being set free and reunited with his owner. We should do at least equally well in continually trusting and living in anticipation for a future reunion with our Lord and the One who calls Christ followers “friends”.

Doug Ford, DVM is the owner of Beaver Creek Veterinary Clinic in Brush, Colorado. Doug earned his DVM degree from Colorado State University. Brush, Colorado has been his home since graduating from Colorado State. Doug’s practice has been remarkably diverse over 40 years of veterinary medicine. Dogs, cats, cow/calf, feedlot, two sale barns, and spaying thousands of heifers for grass. The last 20 years of practice has been 50% large western dairies and 50% beef cattle (spaying, cow/calf, and feedlots). In 2005, Doug was given the privilege to become one of the six founding members of PAC. Doug and his wife Jan ranch in their “spare” time. They are also heavily involved in a wetland’s development project on the South Platte River near Snyder, Colorado. Doug’s dad used to say, “Get your grades up. Do you want to grow up to be a ditch digger?” Doug had no idea how much fun it would be to play in the dirt with dozers and track hoes. He feels truly blessed and believes that the best days are yet to come.

Greg Quakenbush, DVM is a 1978 graduate of Colorado State University and spent 16 years in large animal practice in Porterville, California. For 19 years, Dr. Q worked for Zoetis (Pfizer) and was Director of the US Cattle Technical Services team. Since 2013, Dr. Q has worked with the Geissler Corporation assisting in the development of new veterinary diagnostic technologies. Dr. Q enjoys Bible study, shooting sports, fly-fi shing, and being a part-time farmer growing citrus and nuts in the central valley of California.

James 1:12 (ESV) Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

John 16:33 (ESV) “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Romans 12:12 (ESV) Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 8:28 (ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.