Ella, after her bath.

By Susan Shanklin

I just dropped off Ella, the dog, at the groomers for a bath.

Some of you remember Ella from past stories. But for some of you she is a new addition to the farm news here at the Shanklins.

Ella is a big, yellow Lab…about 7 years old now. We got her a few years ago from a shelter when she was a rambunctious, I’m in charge, alpha dog. But you know how it goes…you just connect with an animal and that is the one. I don’t know just how much connecting Ella did with us but we adopted her as a birthday gift to me from my dear Tom.

She was pretty quiet the first few days because she had just been spaded and was lonesome for her sister, who she had left at the shelter.

After a week, she was back to the “in charge” mode. Surfing the counter, sleeping on furniture, and bolting off when ever she felt like it. We should have named her NO Manners Ella for that was who she was, no manners.

We took her to dog obedience classes for a few months, which made a world of difference. I do think she would have flunked the class if it had not been for her winning personality. The teacher adored her. But the class showed Ella she had new ‘masters’ and she could trust us.

Trust is a big issue with Ella. She doesn’t want to be left in a new environment. Well, she doesn’t like to be left, period. Someone had left her before and never came back, and she doesn’t want that to happen again.

So, today Ella thought she was going for a ride in the car! “Yippee,” she thought. “Roll them windows down, let my ears fly, and let my nose whiff the air.”

“Mmmm,” she thinks. “This is a parking lot. Oh well, let see what’s here. Any road kill to snack on?”

The thick leash is attached to her soiled pink collar and she bounds out of the back of my CRV as another car is approaching. I grab the leash and turn my body to Ella to restrain her. I guess it’s been a long time since she has been on a leash, since she has the run of the farm.

I put the leash around the back of me as she is walking in front of me. That way she has to pull me if she is going to get ahead, which she doesn’t.

We walk into the pet store/groomer and she is happy as a lark.

“Oh, new smells all over the place. People! Oh, I love people but I like smells better,” Ella seems to say.

I greet the groomer and say, “This is the dirty dog.”

The groomer smiles and I have to sign a form and she slips a tiny lightweight leash over her neck.

I say, “You can just leave mine on,” thinking in my mind, “Girl, she’s going to rip your little hand off when she takes off.”

“Oh, okay if that is what you want,” she says.

I say to Ella. “I’ll be back. Don’t you worry.”

Well, that was not okay with Ella.

“I’m coming with you,” Ella seems to say as she starts to follow.

The groomer holds on tight and I stop and turn around to see Ella staring at me with these huge tan Lab eyes.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Don’t leave me. I promise not to eat chicken poop ever again. I won’t poop in your flower bed, I promise. Don’t leave me!”

“Ella,” I say, “I will be back. I promise.”

Ella sits on her hutches and just stares at me.

“I promise I will come back. Trust me,” I say, and I leave and don’t look back.

Later, the groomer called and said, “Ella Mae [that’s her full name] is ready.”

When I arrive, Ella is waiting to see if I really meant it when I said, “Trust me. I’ll be back.”

I walk in, pay, and they go get Ella. Above a little door, up pops a large head with tan eyes. As soon as she sees me, Ella starts to jump up and down and squeak.

“You came back! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”

“I said I would be back!”

Trust is a big issue for all of us.

This one thing I do know. Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us.

Squeak! Squeak!