In His Image: Dominion & Doggies

“Then God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.’” (Gen 1:26)

I see something almost every single day that makes me think of this passage, and in particular, of our duty as the children of God. He made us in his likeness by giving us dominion over the creatures of the earth, which means we have a responsibility to take care and respect those creatures. If we are to be made in His image, after His likeness in this way, then we must remember to have dominion like God would, not destroy the earth and its animals. This post has been in me for quite awhile and this morning I saw something that finally said to me “write the article, write it now.” (not literally)

These “somethings” that I see almost every day are squirrels, dogs, deer, opossum, raccoons, birds, dead on the side/middle of the road. These are the creatures we have been charge with treating like God treats all of his creation, justly with respect and love. This morning in particular I saw a dog, probably 35 lbs., lying on the side of the road. It had a chain connected to its collar (I’m guessing that’s where it was connected). Being a huge dog lover, I almost broke down right there. To think that (most likely) someone had that dog chained in the back of their pickup in such a way that it could still jump out (chain and all!) makes me physically ill. Now that dog, who could have been a loving family pet or trusty sidekick is dead on a major roadway.

Every time I see an animal dead on the side of the road I make the sign of the cross. I don’t know why but part of me wishes I could bless that animal with all the due respect and love God charged me with giving. I’ve hit animals before, yes, and I feel awful afterwards. In my life I’ve hit a squirrel, a bird and a raccoon. I feel deeply responsible (on behalf of man) for their lives.

So where does this leave us? We have torn down forests, destroying their homes to build highways and byways. We pollute their waters and their air. We drive them into extinction. And at the same time, many buy family pets and take good care of them, loving them as a child, protecting them from harm. And yet others abuse animals and treat them with gross-negligence (i.e. transporting them in pick-ups without secure collars, etc.). I don’t have answers, but we have to do something. Perhaps we can all start at a local pound or animal shelter organization. Volunteer for a day or adopt a pet. Maybe it starts even more personal than that. Go out of your way to set up a bird feeder, show a little more affection to a family pet, donate to a shelter or vet, etc. And if you see someone doing something inhumane to an animal, don’t just stand there, call someone, talk to that person, make it your business because it is.

God charged us with dominion over his creation. He created us in his image so that we may treat his creatures as he treats them. With respect, love and kindness. God Bless you and all the creatures of this beautiful world.