Tag Archives: dogs

by Anthony Baker | May 31, 2022 · 7:32 am

Just Keep Painting, Painting, Painting

Ah, Dory. Totally clueless for the most part, but totally and perpetually the optimistic swimmer. She barely had an idea where she was going, but she just kept “swimming, swimming, swimming.”

Sometimes that all I can do when it comes to painting. When I barely know what I’m doing, I just keep painting, painting, painting.

Every painting I start, doesn’t matter what it is, I have this gut feeling that I won’t be able to finish it. It’s like every project I set out to paint seems more than I should be able to do. I mean, I haven’t been painting all that long (less than 2 years), and already the expectations people have of me are far greater than I consider myself able.

But what do I do? I just keep painting. For eventually, with enough trial and error, I end up with a piece of art.

The painting I’m showing you today is one that I did yesterday for my brother-in-law, Carlos. My sister asked me if I could do a portrait of his late dog Cosmo (originally a Romanian stray, I think). At first I was excited to do so, but then I remembered how that I’ve done very little painting of animals, and they weren’t that good.

However, upon accepting the request, I decided to give it my best, take my time, and see what I could do. And to be honest, the moment I sat down in front of a photo of Cosmo, I was intimidated. Unlike static structures, living things have a lot more shades of color. On top of that, when you change something very minor, a familiar face can become a stranger. Therefore, I was nervous.

But then, once I got started, all I had to do was take one step at a time. The first thing was to do a preliminary pencil sketch, which included determining where colors would be divided. After that, I started with light washes of neutral colors on which I would add darker and darker shades. Then, when all that was done, I would start “fine tuning” the details like blending and edging. All it really took was time and patience.

Herein lies a lesson for life. When there are times we feel incapable of the task that has been set before us, most of the time, if we will just keep swimming, not only will we finish, but we will often learn something new along the way, something we can use next time to make the harder challenge attainable.

So, if you feel like you can’t do whatever it is you need to do, don’t give up. If God has called you for something specific, He’s already placed inside of you the talent. Trust Him, and just keep painting. It will turn out beautiful in time.

5 Comments

Filed under animals, art, hobbies, Life Lessons

Tagged as devotional, dogs, Encouragement, painting, Pets, watercolor painting

by Anthony Baker | August 22, 2020 · 7:07 pm

Where Are You Resting?

Sometimes God uses the smallest things to remind us of His caring love, provision, and strength.

As I look at this recent picture of my little George when he wasn’t feeling well, I can’t help but notice how at rest he is. Look at how little, yet how trusting. Just a tiny little guy, but he knows where he is loved, safe, and taken care of.

In reality, how much bigger is God than us? How much more capable is He than me when it comes to protecting, providing, and comforting? Why is it I run around the yard in a panic like a little dog with no home?

Trust – the word so often missing in our relationship with our heavenly Father. But with trust (and unconditional love) comes a readiness to lay our head on God’s strong arm. There we will find rest.

Isaiah 41:10 – Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Father’s Day, Wednesday (and maybe a bonus)

I Just Don’t Feel Like Wri

Honestly, I just don’t feel like writing. I couldn’t even finish the header! I don’t know what’s come over me.

One possibility is that COVID-19 has thrown schedules to the wind. Because of that I’m not in the office for longer periods as often.

So, with only a laptop or my phone (which I’m on right now), it’s a lot of work to clean off my reading and drawing/painting table to set up my computer. Maybe I’m just spoiled. Or lazy.

Anyway, to compensate a little, I wanted to share some more videos from this past week.

Having Fun With George

I posted the following video on YouTube and Facebook, but I just had to share it with you guys.

George is my little buddy 🙂

What’s Your Pet’s Name and Why?

What is your dog’s name?

For some reason, I’m feeling like there’s the possibility of something profound in this question. I don’t know why. Prohound? I don’t know.

Anyway, if you have a canine member of your family, what did you name it, and why?

My dog has several names, and there’s a legitimate reason for each.

George Boogidee Baker
- George, because he’s named after the first dog I had when I first moved out of my parent’s house. That George was named after the name the Abominable Snow Man gave both Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck: “I will love him and hug him and pet him…” etc.
- Boogidee, because he needed a middle name, and that’s something I called him in the mornings when I woke him up. It just came to me.
- Baker, because he’s part of the family.
Dark Paw
- That’s his Native American name. You know, since I have Cherokee heritage.
- He has one dark paw.
R.R.
- Pronounced Aaarrr Aaarrr.
- This is his Pirate name.
- Came from when my wife said he looked like a racing rat when he was sleeping next to me.
- We also have a deacon whose name is L.H., so having an RR around kinda fits.

OK, I don’t want to be prejudiced, even though I prefer dogs over iguanas. But if you have another kind of inferior pet, you can get in on this discussion, too.

Pet names for your spouse or significant other doesn’t count.

3 Comments

Filed under animals

Tagged as Animals, bugs bunny, Daffy Duck, dogs, names, pet names, Pets

by Anthony Baker | June 17, 2017 · 2:17 pm

An Update On Jack (and answered prayer)

On Tuesday, June 6, our little dog, Jack, was attacked in our front yard by a roaming pit bull mix (I despise that dog). On June 7, the day after, I published a post entitled “Praying for an Animal” and addressed the biblical reasons for doing so.

Here are some photos of how bad he was messed up.

Jack had approximately 15 puncture wounds, a couple of which went into the muscle – these were the most troubling.

There was so much damage that drain tubes had to be inserted all over his little body so that fluid could drain. He had multiple staples holding his wounds together.

Most concerning was his back, because it was there that the skin was literally pulled away from the muscle beneath. Between that and the punctured muscle, the vet warned us this might not end well.

However, despite how crazy it might have seemed, the evening of the 7th we prayed for Jack, even anointing his little furry head with oil. Want to know what happened next?

The first thing Thursday morning the 8th Jack was sitting up and wanting to play with his favorite toy, a chewed-up cheetah!

Now, just a week and four days later…today…in our back yard…I filmed a camera-shy little Jack. You judge for yourself whether or not God answered our prayers.

Thank you, everybody, for your kind thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes. I believe Jack is going to be fine 🙂

5 Comments

Filed under animals, Prayer

Tagged as Animals, dogs, prayer

by Anthony Baker | June 7, 2017 · 11:20 pm

Praying for an Animal

I know I’ve got guest posts being posted, but I had to share something with you, something that I did tonight.

You see, my daughter’s little dog, Jack, was attacked in our yard by another dog that has been walking unattended through the neighborhood. Jack is a small dog, only about 12 pounds, and the dog that attacked him was a larger pit-bull mix. Ugly, too.

According to the vet to which my wife and daughter took Jack today, he had around 15 puncture wounds, torn skin, and possibly some muscle damage. Jack has been in a lot of pain, very weak, and very pitiful.

It’s been difficult for us, too.

So, this afternoon, before I came home from work, I told my wife that we would be praying for Jack this evening. She agreed. She also agreed with me that there was nothing unbiblical about doing so, either.

Have you ever prayed over a wounded pet? Have you ever anointed one with oil and prayed for one while being on Facebook Live? Well, that’s what I did tonight.

What do you think about praying for this little dog? Do you think it was silly thing to do? Do you think it was sacrilegious? If so, let give you some things to think about.

First, there is nothing too big or too small, nothing too important or insignificant, to keep us from praying to our Heavenly Father. Are you a parent? Tell me, when your little children drew a picture that made no sense, did it still thrill you when they brought it to you as a gift, all proud? Did you think it was beautiful, even though others may have thought is was scribble?

God is our Abba, our Father, so don’t you think it pleases Him when we bring ANYTHING to him in prayer? Of course it does! That shows Him we care about something and we want Him to care, too! It shows Him that we have faith in Him to take care of something, something we have no control over. It shows that we believe in Him enough to take our petitions to Him, not someone else.

Do you think a hurt little dog is insignificant? Guess what, how big do you think your biggest prayer request is in the light of Omnipotent God? EVERY need we have is small to Him!

Secondly, what do you think about praying for a dog? Do you think it is crazy to ask God to heal a dog? Do you think that matters nothing to Him? Well, what about how He takes note of every sparrow that falls (Matthew 10:29; Luke 12:6)? What about the time He chastised Jonah for not even caring about the cattle that could have been killed (Jonah 4:11)? What about how one of the characteristics of a righteous man is how he cares for his animals (Proverbs 12:10)? Need I go on?

When the Lord created all living things, what did He say? He said, “It is good.” God cares for His creation, and that is why He expects us to take care of it and tend it. If God made our little dog, then He cares for our little dog.

Third, there’s this thing called faith. Are you aware that whenever we put our faith in the Lord for anything, that brings Him glory? Our trust in Him to do something we can’t shows our dependency on Him (Psalm 57:2).

Fourth, God cares about us. That’s the biggie. God, our Father in Heaven, is so much better of a father than we could ever be (Matt. 7:11; Luke 11:13). When our children hurt, that hurts us. Likewise, when we hurt, it must pain our Father. Does he not collect our tears (Psalm 56:8).

So, I prayed for our little dog. I even anointed him with oil when I prayed – as a symbol of faith (believe me, I understand the context of the passages, so you don’t have to offer any exegesis). I prayed, and I believe, that my Father, little Jack’s Creator, will heal him and raise him back up.

So, for my daughter’s sake, and for the glory of the Lord, will you say a pray for Jack, our little dog? He is in pain, has multiple wounds, some of which are down into the muscle. A large portion of his back had the skin pulled away from the muscle. He even has multiple tube protruding from his body in order to help his wounds to drain. He also has multiple staples all over his body.

Thank you for caring.

Poor little guy even has to endure a “cone of shame.”

24 Comments

Filed under animals, Prayer

Tagged as Animals, dogs, Pets, prayer

by Anthony Baker | August 22, 2016 · 7:54 pm

I’m Totally Heartbroken

Many of you know what it is like to lose a pet. Many of you know what it is like to lose a family member. Some of you may understand what it is like when you lose a pet that is more than just an animal, but a family member. Well, that’s what my wife and I are going through.

Friday morning our daughter Katie let our little dogs out to do their business…two came back inside, but one didn’t. When I got home from Atlanta Friday night, little Nugget was still nowhere to be found.

We enlisted the aid of neighbors and a couple of church members to help look. All of us drove around our entire neighborhood, calling, praying, and just hoping there would be some sign…but nothing. And now it’s Monday.

Nugget is a Chorkie (Chihuahua/Yorkie), and in a disturbing “coincidence” two other Yorkies are missing from our same part of town. Was he stolen? Will we find him for sale online? We are hoping.

But another possibility is that our little Nugget, a precious little dog we’ve had since October of 2009, when he was only 2 months old, was taken by a coyote. If that’s what happened, well…

You see, a coyote has been seen a couple of times around our house. One night just a week or so ago my wife and daughters came home, got out of the car, and found themselves being threatened by what they thought at first was a fox (they were wrong – it was much bigger than that). It was at that time Nugget, the bravest little dog you’ve ever seen – a dog whose chased off large dogs and dear – wasted no time tearing off after the coyote, running it out of the yard.

My fear is that the coyote showed back up early Friday morning and Nugget got into a fight he couldn’t win. If that’s the case, our little dog died a hero. And if I find that coyote, I’m going to give it a taste of multiple gut-shattering personal defense 9mm rounds. Yes, I will.

Nugget was such a good little dog. For example, he was always obedient and house trained. If we came to the stairs, either in the house or outside, Nugget would always stand and wait for us to go down first…he would never trip us. When offered treats along with the other two dogs, Nugget would always sit back away from them and patiently wait his turn.

“No, I don’t want a steak biscuit.”

Nugget loved to go for a ride. Many times on Saturdays I would go out to McDonald’s for a cup of coffee. Nugget knew where I was going and would insist to ride along. When I’d get to the drive through Nugget would stand on my leg, put his front paws and head out the window, and practically place his own order – chicken nuggets. And whenever we went to Chick-fil-A, his favorite was a small scoop of ice cream.

Nugget was the only one who would stay up late into the night with my wife during tax season. He would stay right with her, either by her feet or on a little bed she made on her desk. Wherever she would go he would follow. And, yes, he slept with us.

He didn’t shed. He rarely did anything that got him into trouble. He loved to run and be chased. He loved to be held. He thought of himself as more human than the other dogs, for toys were out of the question – he just wanted to be with us.

I know it may sound crazy, but losing Nugget, although not a human child, is almost as painful as losing a human loved one. Nugget was my “little boy.” Because we lived in a house with so many females, Nugget and I would have our “guy time.” Now my little buddy is gone, and there are tears in my eyes and a broken heart in my chest.

My wife and I both are very heartbroken.

Now, some of you may find all this ridiculous. I mean, Nugget was just an animal, right? Sure, but God has created us with the ability to show emotion, to grow attached, and even to love little animals that are so faithful. After all, it could be argued that the best earthly example of agape love is a faithful dog.

One year old in 2010.

Making a profile pic.

Christmas pajamas – for dogs, too.

Learned behavior? It was always MY pillow, too!

Jack and Nugget arguing about something, I know not what.

Running out to meet me as I got off the bus.

Always ready to play.

Waiting to place his order, Nugget would even expect chicken from the bank.

After all the other Easter Sunday family pics, Nugget got to be in one, too.

And, should you read this and think of yourself more spiritual than one who would be heartbroken over a dog, consider the following verses:

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and [also] much cattle? – Jonah 4:11

A righteous [man] regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked [are] cruel. – Proverbs 12:10

We will miss you, Nugget. You were the best.

Sleep well, buddy. You earned it.

11 Comments

Filed under animals, Life/Death, Struggles and Trials

Tagged as dogs, Loss, pet owners, Pets, sorrow, Yorkie

by Anthony Baker | August 4, 2016 · 7:00 am

Some Choose the Thorny Path

Wise Solomon

It never fails to amaze me how people get themselves into trouble. But if the truth be known, many of those who end up getting hurt, whether it be physically or emotionally, chose the wrong path. Wise King Solomon put it this way…

There are thorns and snares on the path of the crooked; the one who guards himself stays far from them. – Proverbs 22:5 HCSB

Below are two stories about two different paths. Both contain dogs, but only one has a happy ending.

Whose Fault?

People who drink and drive should expect problems down the road. People who use illegal drugs should expect problems, also. Why is it, then, when these people get caught, harassed, or arrested by law enforcement, they blame the whole thing on the police?

Recently a man’s dog was shot and killed. After seeing his owner arrested for mouthing off to machine gun-toting policemen who had surrounded the house of a criminal, the 80 pound Rottweiler decided to attack. What was the arresting officer supposed to do but defend himself? Yet, the community where this happened is calling for the policeman to be punished. Why? Because a fool who couldn’t keep his foolish mouth shut forgot to restrain his killer dog?

Taking a Different Path

The above story reminds me of something that happened to me years ago. One night our German Shepherd was acting like a stranger was close by. There had been some suspicious activity down the street already, so I took my shotgun (we lived out in the county) and walked with my dog through the shadows around our house over toward the street.

Just before we came out of the shadows, I saw six policemen with M-16 assault rifles walking in my direction. Little did I know they were looking for a criminal who had just shot at another policeman.

My heart nearly stopped. “Oh God…please don’t let them see me…for the love of all that’s holy, dog, pleeeeezzzzz don’t bark…”

The dog stayed silent… We both survived.

I quietly took a different path.

Mannerly Pets

Pet Owner?

How many of you have pets? We do. As a matter of fact, we have a 7lb., 4oz. four-legged family member named “Nugget,” and we love him very much! And for the record, there’s nothing wrong with that.

As a matter of fact, did you know that there is even a proverb that deals with animal ownership? It describes the contrast between a person who takes care of an animal and a person who is cruel and mean.

A righteous [man] regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked [are] cruel. – Proverbs 12:10

Put another way, godly people are nice to animals; wicked heathen are not. Is it any wonder many people abusers have also been animal abusers?

Why do I bring up pets? Because pets, specifically their behavior, can tell something about their owners (or “parents,” as one dog food company calls them).

Train Up a “Child”

You are probably familiar with the verse that says, “train up a child in the way he should go.” For your children’s sake, I hope you do, because children need constant instruction and discipline. Otherwise, they will end up like Brittany Spears, Snookie, or a character from South Park.

We have done our best to train our children. They are respectful, obedient (mostly), and even manage money well. More importantly, each has an individual desire to follow Jesus. Yes, we’ve have made mistakes, but overall I have been encouraged by the results.

But the other day I noticed something about our dog that encouraged me. Nugget has manners!

Courteous Canine

I first noticed this when I began down the stairs. Nugget was in front of me, but as soon as he saw me behind him, he stepped aside and waited for me to go first. I said, “Thank you Nuggie, what a good boy!”

Later, it became obvious that every time I would walk to a door, go down stairs, or even drive through Hardees for a Saturday chicken biscuit, Nugget would wait his turn without being asked (yes, he gets one).

Why a mannerly dog? Why mannerly children? I believe I have the answer. It’s pretty simple, really.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. – Joshua 24:15 KJV

Christian Home – Christian Pets

It may sound totally crazy, at first, but bear with me. If your home reflects Christ, then you, and others, should even be able to see it in your pets. Yes, I am serious. (Go ahead, write hate mail.)

Pets (except cats – they think they’re gods) are known to take on the characteristics of their owners. Mean dogs usually have mean owners. Talkative birds are usually owned by women (did I say that?). Disciplined and mannerly pets reflect owners who care.

Sooooo….if you need any help coming up with a doggie devotional, just let me know. Nugget might be able to help.