A Friend Never Runs Away

"A friend loves at all times."

Proverbs 17:17a (NIV)

Jerry, the owner of the bed-and-breakfast we stayed at in Cody, Wyoming, has a Border Collie who loves his ball. I would throw it for him and he would run after it at top speed. Then he would bring it back to me to throw again.

Jerry rescued the dog a few years ago, when the original owner no longer wanted him. The dog kept running away all the time, so she felt she had no choice but to put the dog down. When Jerry heard about this, he was missing his dog that had recently died, so he told the owner to bring the dog to his property.

Since the dog was a run-away, Jerry's plan was to let the dog decide. After the dog was introduced to him, the owner started to leave to get into her car. To Jerry's dismay, the dog followed, but at the half-way point, the dog surprisingly turned around, looked at Jerry and ran back to him. They have been inseparable ever since. Never again has the dog been tempted to run away. He sees the deer in the field, but he only watches them from a distance.

The dog even rides on Jerry's ATV. I took this picture of the dog waiting for Jerry to come back so they can go out into the field to round up the horses. Jerry's dog is his true friend, for a friend loves at all times. A friend never runs away.