Call upon me

The story I'm sharing today happened back in January 2009, days before (or perhaps even the same day) as Barack Obama was sworn in for his first term.  I shared this story back then in my previous blog "A Corgi in Southern California".  I didn't go back and look at that post, but I think there is only a handful of people that were reading my blog back then who are still reading it now so for the majority of you this will be a new to you story.  I had not thought of this for years, literally, but thought about this a few weeks back and it comes to mind every now and then since then so maybe I'm meant to share it again. 

This is Koda.  A lot of you will remember him.  He was our first corgi who we lost on December 23, 2014.  He was such a good dog.  Or perhaps we just thought he was a good dog.  He endured chemo for lymphoma, had an almost 4 year remission, had diabetes, became blind, and finally we said goodbye to him after his cancer returned with a vengeance.  I still cry sometimes when I think of him.  

This is Winslow, as you all know.  We got him March 7, 2020; literally around the same time everything started closing down due to Covid.  Winslow's mom looks just like Koda.  Koda was known as a redheaded tricolored Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  You can definitely see that in his picture.  Winslow is not truly a redhead as he has black on his forehead.  

Both are handsome pups, but I think Koda shines just a little bit more in his looks.  Both are purebred, but they were polar opposites as I have written about before and won't bore you again with the details.  Both were (are) loved very much and both came to us at just the right moment when we needed the comic relief they brought (bring).  

Now on to my story.

At that time, I was the one that walked Koda in the mornings before I started work.  As I was working at home, I had more time to do so.  In the evenings, hubby and me would take him together for another walk.  

That morning, sometime in mid(ish) January I was walking Koda where we used to live in Laguna Niguel (which is really close to Laguna Beach).  OOPS.  After I posted this and thought about it, I realized I made a mistake.  It wasn't Laguna Niguel we were living in at the time but in Murietta, an inland city in Southern Caifornia, close to Temecula.  It was a cloudy cool morning.  As was my custom when I walked Koda, I would pray.  When I pray by myself, I usually pray out loud.  Not loud, but not in my head.

I was walking residential streets.  I usually took him for about a 30-45 minute walk.  As I was praying, and I remember I specifically was praying for Rick Warren (pastor from Saddleback Church) who was going to be doing the prayer before the inauguration.  

I heard a noise behind me and as I turned to look, there was a Boxer dog running towards us and starting to attack Koda.  Now, mind you, this was my first encounter with a dog like this on attack and I did not know what to do.  (My hubby later educated me on things).  I panicked and I did not know what to do.  I called out "help, help, help" but it was about 7 o'clock in the morning and the street was empty, no windows opened, no one came out.  The dog was still attacking Koda.

In my desperation I called out "Help me Jesus".  And I kid you not, but at that moment the dog stopped attacking Koda and looked ahead of where we were on the sidewalk.  I looked, thinking I would see someone coming to help us.  No.  That wasn't what the dog was looking at.

There was a black cat in the middle of the road just sitting there.  I don't know how long it was there but it wasn't there before the dog started attacking Koda because Koda would have seen it (this was before he went blind) and barked because Koda hated cats.  The dog just stood there looking at the cat.  I quickly put Koda's collar back on as it had come off during the attack and picked him up and started walking as fast as I could away from the dog.  I looked back once or twice but it was still just standing there.

I turned a corner and got to the top of a little hill that was part of the street.  Satisfied that the dog was not following us I put Koda down and called my hubby.  At the time he only worked 2 miles from where we lived so he rushed home.  By then I had made it home with Koda.

Koda did not have any visible signs of trauma.  We thought he might be a little sore but that was that.  He rested that day and was back to his usual self the next morning.

I started carrying a walking stick when walking him and would usually drive to a park where others were walking their dogs or others just walking for exercise.  I felt even if no one came to help me if Koda got attacked again, at least there would be people around who may (or may not) call the police or for other help.  I always was on guard and alert after that.  He never got attacked again while I was walking him alone but did get attacked three other times when my hubby and me were walking him together (but those are stories for another day perhaps).

To this day I truly believe with all my heart that Jesus indeed heard my prayer and sent that cat as a diversion.  

(Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.  Psalm 50:15)

Believe you me, I thanked Jesus over and over and over and over again.  He protected even a silly corgi puppy.  For that and so many other reasons, I will always trust in Him.