Yesterday my son lost his dog to an illness. At about four o’clock in the afternoon I told him to go dig a grave as I was certain Tramp would die before morning. He died only three hours later. For weeks we could not even force feed the dog. He refused everything and became skin and bones. I believe he died of pancreatic cancer, but that’s my educated opinion from the research I could do.
Truly, the most uncanny thing happened at 6:55pm last evening. Tramp called Donal to his death bed. I kid you not! We all rushed to his cry, the first he had ever given of any distress. He died only minutes later in Donal’s arms. He just went to sleep without another cry, content to be in Donal’s arms.
After a full course of tears from all of us, and the burial, Donal choked out the question whether Tramp went to heaven or not. I honestly didn’t think he did, but neither could I say he hadn’t. I checked on the Internet and astounded myself with something I’ll share that I read there.
All of that resulted in a little story I told this morning since there was no Tramp to greet us at the door. Donal said this story helped him a lot, and since it’s based upon fact, I think you will be able to tell where facts become fiction.
Tramp & the Boy
Once upon a time, there was a young boy who had a good and faithful dog. They were best of friends. They went everywhere together and played, hunted, fished and climbed mountains together. They had a wonderful life because the boy loved the dog and the dog loved the boy.
But it hadn’t always been like that. The dog had been born in a garbage dump to parents that barely had food for themselves. After the dog was weaned he learned what it took to eat. Every mouthful of food was taken in a vicious fight even with his parents and brothers and sisters.
Stray dogs were chased and torn up badly for having invaded their territory. As a result the dog’s left eye had been torn in a fight. There were other scars too. The dog had become the strongest fighter and packs of other dogs feared him.
Some time later the dog found the boy playing with a ball in a garden (park) and on the swings, and on the slide with other children. Dog and boy played with the ball together, ran and jumped to play catch.
Immediately the boy felt pity for the dog. He could see he was hungry, so he ran home, the dog right on his heels, sneaked a cookie (biscuit) from out of the cookie jar and gave him one. Boy and dog were bonded forever.
The boy pleaded with his dad to let him keep the dog. At first sight Dad said, “No, can’t you see he’s nothing but a junk yard dog. He could turn on you, Son. He looks vicious and you can see he's been in a lot of fights.” But night after night the dog was there protecting house and home. Somehow on two separate nights the dog had sneaked through the wrought iron porch and guarded the house from inside.
Finally, Dad said, “Okay, you can keep him but he’ll be your job for the rest of his life, because I don’t want a dog. Okay?”
“Oh, Dad! Thanks, thanks, thanks!” he said jumping up and down. “I’ll take good care of him, you wait and see.”
Later, the boy came into where his dad was working on the computer and said, “Dad! I’ve named him Tramp.”
“Well, that’s a pretty good name, Son. It fits him well.”
Every day the boy fed Tramp. He gave him baths, put flea powder on him, took him to the doctor for shots when he was ill, and gave the dog the best food he had ever dreamed of eating. Tramp grew strong, healthy, and looked great.
Tramp's "Patch" Beneath His Right Eye
They were inseparable. God had given Tramp a boy who would take very good care of him. God also knew Tramp was going to protect the boy and his family from some people that wanted to hurt them. In fact, Tramp stood guard at the boy’s house every night and scared bad people away several times. The whole family came to love Tramp.
Only yesterday, Tramp and boy were walking at the side of a roadway with Tramp on a leash. A reckless driver struck both dog and boy and drove away leaving them for dead.
The only thing the boy knew was that he and Tramp were suddenly walking up a long and winding dirt road with Tramp still on his leash. There were very high walls on either side of the road, and going down hill was an impossibility for it was a dead end in the sky. So, up they went. Hour after hour they climbed.
“This is strange,” the boy thought. “We have to be dead, so we must be going to heaven, but it sure is a long ways.”
As they walked on they became tired and so thirsty. Tramp was panting and needed water badly but was constantly tugging on his leash pulling them higher.
Then around a bend and just ahead was a marvelous looking gate, broad and so beautiful the boy knew it must be heaven. When they got to the gate, sure enough, an angel greeted the boy. He welcomed him to come right on in! The boy looked around. Just inside the gate was a scene that made him gasp. There was a fountain gushing thirst quenching water just high enough to be drunk freely from. There was a tree house, just like he’d always wanted. There was every type of mouth watering fast-foods available for free, and he saw lots of boys and girls laughing and playing with all those things and more.
There was a great big lake and he could see all the fish swimming in it, and a couple of them even jumped as if to say, “You can’t catch me!”Then he spotted fishing poles, bait and tackle all ready just for the using. He turned his view another way and saw the most beautiful swimming pool with diving boards and water slides, and all the other things that a boy could desire.
“No wonder this is called ‘heaven!’” he shouted with glee. He blinked his eyes, and sure enough the angel with a very inviting smile was still standing there and said, “Well, what are you waiting for? Come on in.”
Boy and dog stepped just over the threshold inside the beautiful garden when the angel suddenly shouted, “Stop! You can’t bring that dog in here. Don’t you see the sign? ‘NO DOGS ALLOWED.’”
“M, Mu, Mr. Angel,” the boy stammered, “D, Du, Does that mean if I stay out here with my dog that I can’t come into heaven?”
“That’s exactly what it means! The sign is very clear that dogs are not allowed.”
The thought didn’t last even a second.
“No thank you, then, Mr. Angel.” I won’t be coming to heaven.”
“But you don’t want to go to hell, do you!”
“No, I don’t, but I could never desert Tramp!”
With that the boy and dog continued up the hill growing ever more thirsty, and dog tired.
The boy couldn’t take another step, when Tramp suddenly jerked him off the road into a break in the wall the boy hadn’t seen. Tramp had new engergy as he practically dragged the boy into and through a hole. The boy scrambled after Tramp on hands and knees just as he used to do before.
On the other side the boy found himself staring right at a pair of huge bare feet. His gaze took him from feet to legs to trunk to chest until he was looking right up into a very tall angel’s eyes who was looking down at him. He couldn’t help but notice two water fountains at separate heights. They were so thirsty, but the boy knew he was sneaking through heaven’s back wall where dogs were not allowed.He was scared.
He took a deep breath as he rose to his feet. He had to tell the truth.
“I’ll go back through the hole, Mr. Angel, because I know I can’t bring my dog in here. Actually, Sir, Tramp pulled me through the broken part in the wall.”
“Son,” the angel said, “don’t you know that all dogs go to heaven?”
“B, bu, but the angel back down the road said . . . THAT was heaven and dog’s were not allowed.”
“I know,” said the angel. “He’s the devil and says that to everyone. That’s why not many people make it up here, but not one dog misses this hole in the wall and that’s why the dogs are always trying to pull their masters up the road higher. They never cheat their masters, and that’s why I’m standing right here.
“Those master’s who are willing to give up their true and faithful friends for only what looks like a selfishly wonderful place for theireternity have no place in heaven. Yet their dogs all come here because all dogs have obeyed God’s will. God sent Tramp to protect you and didn’t Tramp obey Him? Didn’t God want you to give Tramp your love and the food he needed. Didn’t you also obey God?
“Since you gave your dog your love and wouldn’t cheat on him when selfish temptations came, you both belong in heaven.
“Welcome home.” the angel said.
I cannot close the story without adding what I then told Donal. Whether or not our pets go to heaven, it is critical that we remember that we must get right with God or our chances of seeing a departed pet again are zero. See “Donal Takes On Discovery Channel” by clicking here.
Copyright © http://fiwl.wordpress.com/tramp-and-donal Permission to copy granted when copyright notice is shown.
Now, pray with us that the river stays within it's banks, and that our ceilings don't rain down water, or actually fall down as one of our neighbor's did! We covered our terrace with plastic but it wasn't enough. We have been sleeping in wet beds, ruined a number of books and our clothes have mildewed. But God is giving us renewed prayers for our own place in March 2009. This building was built with very poor materials. Just part of the corruption that God desires to wipe out. 
