Dogs Know Best

During the summer of 2017, the cumulative effects of high doses of chemotherapy were taking a toll on Matt. Nausea, headaches and gastrointestinal issues were constant. Eating was challenging. Leaving the house or receiving visitors was often out of the question. Once the NBA Finals were over, there were two things that seemed to help distract him from reality and bring him joy: watching cooking shows on the Food Network and animal videos on his phone.

It was during this time that Matt became completely enamored by Corgis. Maybe it was their fluffy butts or their perky ears, I’m not sure, but something convinced Matt that he wanted – needed – a Corgi. I would have given Matt whatever his heart desired in those sad, sick days. But Tom was, and is, more of a realist. We were struggling to keep our heads above water and Tom knew that adding a new puppy to our chaotic life would be disastrous. He did, however, agree to placate Matt and I and drove us nearly four hours south to visit a family who breeds Corgis.

They were delightful and lived on a huge farm and had seven children. To help the older kids with their expenses, they each owned a momma Corgi to breed. On this particular day, we were visiting a litter of puppies from a momma named Tillie, who belonged to one of the family’s older daughters. I don’t remember anything really about momma Tillie, but I do remember her little puppies looking like big baked potatoes with short little legs. Another momma’s babies nearby were six weeks older than Tillie’s and by then had transformed into the cutest dogs I had ever seen.

We left the farm, feeling thankful for meeting this family, who promised to be praying for Matt. But as we drove home, the reality of raising a puppy set in and I began to come to my senses. But a few days later, we got a text message that honestly changed our lives. The daughter who owned momma Tillie was touched by Matt’s situation and decided she would like to give Tillie to Matt. We were so touched by the generosity. After all, Tillie was only two-and-a-half, and surely had several good litters left in her.

Shy and timid, poor Tillie shook almost all the way home when we picked her up a few weeks later. From that moment, sitting in the back seat, Tillie has been by Matt’s side. Over the past year and a half, these two have formed such a special relationship that I credit her with helping his cancer recovery as much as I do anything. She gets him out of bed in the morning. She makes him walk when he doesn’t feel like it. She is his constant companion and rarely willingly lets him out of her sight.

Tillie somehow knows her job is to watch over Matt and has developed an amazing intuition about him. For example, on the night of February 15, Matt shut off the lights and snuggled up to Tillie – the same thing he’s done every night since he got her. But after a few minutes, Tillie got up and walked down her doggie steps and got into her kennel. She’s been sleeping there ever since. Why is this significant? Because Matt quit taking chemo on February 14. 
Don’t ask me how she knew that her boy was better – but she did.

Of all of the gifts that God has given us during Matt’s illness, Tillie is one of the best. I look back and see how God put this unexplainable desire on Matt’s heart for a Corgi, how we intersected with a special family who has a heart for God and Matt, and how Tillie then became a huge part of Matt’s recovery. It was all part of God’s story. Tillie reminds me that “EVERY good and perfect gift is from above.” (James 1:17)

What good gifts has He given you? Let’s rejoice in them together!