Faith in Action

Lord, I sat and prayed one day, thank you for Faith. I’m not sure how I would have gotten through these last few days without her. Please keep helping us.

Winter came on. We had our first snow. The kids went outside to play. I carried Faith outside and set her down. She burrowed her nose in the wet, white blanket that covered the ground. Laura and Caity tossed snowballs at Reuben and chased him around the yard.

Suddenly we heard a bark. Then a second one. We stared at Faith. She barked again. It was the first time she had managed any sound. And at that same moment she pushed herself up onto her rear legs and stood there, then hopped around. We looked on in disbelief.

“Mom … ?” Reuben said, his eyes wide.

“Yes,” I said. “That dog can do anything.” Anything she sets her mind to.

Back inside I opened a jar of peanut butter and put a dab on the end of a spoon. I held it out to her, just beyond her reach. “Come and get it,” I said. Almost immediately, she did. Within days she was romping round the house.

That would have been good enough, a dog that hopped like a rabbit. But one day I took her outside to play with another puppy about her size. I handed each of them a rawhide bone. Within minutes the other dog snuck up on Faith, wrested it from her and sauntered away. I watched to see what Faith would do. To my amazement she didn’t hop after that dog. She ran, one foot after another. It was a startling thing to see. A dog walking—running—like a person would!

Faith has made quite a name for herself ever since. The kids and I made a video of her and posted it on the website a fan of Faith’s had made. It was just something I figured people would want to see. Well, to my surprise, millions have logged on and hundreds have left messages telling us what an inspiration Faith is to them. I’ve written books about her, and Faith and I have started making visits to school children, helping them with their reading. Sure, money is sometimes tight, but our family is doing just fine and my job situation is much improved. We’ve got faith. And we’ve got Faith.

By Jude Stringfellow of Edmond, Oklahoma. Jude Stringfellow wrote With a Little Faith, a book about Faith’s impact on her life. To order her book and see a video of Faith in action, visit faiththedog.net.

Photo courtesy of Guideposts