Years ago, I discovered a poem by Elizabeth Gardner Reynolds entitled “The Little Black Dog.” The first time I read it, I wept. Being a lover of Jesus Christ and a huge fan of dogs, the two came together in a perfect storm of emotion.

THE LITTLE BLACK DOG

by Elizabeth Gardner Reynolds

I wonder if Christ had a little black dog,

All curly and wooly like mine:

With two long silky ears and a nose, round and wet,

And two eyes, brown and tender, that shine.

I am sure, if He had, that that little black dog

Knew, right from the first, He was God;

That he needed no proof that Christ was divine,

And just worshipped the ground where he trod.

I’m afraid that He hadn’t, because I have read

How he prayed in the garden, alone;

For all of His friends and disciples had fled

Even Peter, the one called a stone.

And, oh, I am sure that the little black dog,

With a heart so tender and warm,

Would never have left him to suffer alone,

But, creeping right under his arm,

Would have licked the dear fingers, in agony clasped,

And, counting all favors but loss,

When they took him away, would have trotted behind

And Followed Him quite to the Cross.