“Lady Heintzelman and the Animal Crackers”
I already miss Lady Heintzelman. When I walk down the grocery store aisle with the cookies I can’t look at the little circus boxes of animal crackers and not think about her. Let me tell you about one of my favorite patients ever. I first met this beautiful yellow lab in 1998. She was the only 4-legged mouth to feed in the home of Rudy, Janet, Carmen, and Jill Heintzelman. Rudy was truly surrounded by four beautiful girls but the “baby “ Lady stole my heart early on. Janet would bring Lady in for her routine semi-annual visits and after a few years she would always come with a little plastic bag of animal crackers. I’ll never forget watching Lady “do her trick” for the first time. I was fascinated with her obedience. Let me attempt to explain with words what I wish that each of you could have seen in person. (Maybe it’s time to teach your old dog a new trick!) By the way, pet owners want me to see their dog or cat’s trick in the exam room and they (the pets) are seldom cooperative. It’s akin to trying to get a three year old to “perform” when you ask. It just rarely happens. Lady was the exception and her trick has and will always be my favorite trick of all. Janet would have Lady sit and position her head such that the bridge of her nose was perfectly parallel to the floor. She would then ever so gently strategically place an animal cracker just behind her nose. Even the slightest movement on Lady’s part would have made it fall off. It was balanced there only if she remained perfectly still. Lady would just sit there and hold that “statue-like” position until Janet gave her the “O.K.” signal and in a split second, almost faster than light, Lady would somehow flip that little animal cracker off her nose and catch it in her mouth. It sounded like a big fish striking at bait-so fast you couldn’t follow the cracker from her nose to her mouth. I never tired of watching her do this trick. And of course I wanted to get in on it as well. It took me three or four sessions before I got the hang of it- cracker placement, timing, etc. Janet brought more than the usual number of crackers when I got in on the fun. I don’t remember exactly when it happened but one day as I was sitting there enjoying Lady’s prompt obedience the spiritual analogy hit me and I realized that one day I’d be writing this pet parable about Lady. I’m sure I’ve given the surprise of the parable away by now. Lady and the animal cracker is a perfect lesson in prompt obedience to our Master. Lady remained perfectly still until her master gave her the “go” then she wavered not but promptly obeyed. Because her master placed the task strategically all she had to do was obey. The scriptures we can use are countless as examples. To mind initially comes one of my favorites in Psalms 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” Another version says to “Cease striving and know that I am God.” Lady was as still as she could be. She didn’t have to try and place that cracker on her nose. Her master put the task before her and she was left to be still, be patient, and then promptly obey when the signal was given. Her timing was crucial to obedience. Slow obedience is of course no obedience. Let me tell you also about Lady’s eyes while all of this animal cracker placing and waiting was going on. I bet you can guess where they were fixed. Her gaze was of course fixed on her master. They weren’t glancing to the right or the left; they were focused on the one and only. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…” (Hebrews 12:2). The bottom line in Lady being able to fix her eyes on Janet and being promptly obedient every time she gave a command can be summed up in one word- LOVE. Lady loved Janet as much as a pet can love a master but first Janet loved Lady as much as a master can love a pet. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). It is so clear in John 14:27 that obedience is the only outward evidence that we really love God. “If you love me you will obey me.” Lady was surrendered to her master and she loved with all her heart.
On a Monday in October of 2008 Rudy brought Lady in because she was just not herself. I could tell immediately by her breathing that something was wrong. That day there would be no animal cracker tricks to be played. After a series of testing the terrible diagnosis of lung cancer was made. Saying goodbye to Lady was incredibly tough for the Heintzelman family and their vet. She had fought the good fight but it was time for her to hear them say what a good and faithful pet she had been for over ten years. Lady Heintzelman has taught me a lot about waiting on my Master’s timing; keeping my eyes fixed on Him; and then promptly obeying when He speaks. My prayer is that you’ve gleaned some spiritual principles from her story as well. I know I’ll never look at an animal cracker the same way again.
Ann Allen Salter
December 7, 2008
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