Four-Legged Angel

By Jennifer Crites

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
~Psalm 20:1


Surrounded by rolling green hills dotted with horses and cows, the picturesque ranch town of Waimea on Hawaii's Big Island is a peaceful and friendly place. One afternoon, while stayng with friends at their house there, my husband and I decided to go for a stroll along the many, mostly traffic-free, country lanes in the area.






We met a beautiful Golden Retriever, obviously well cared for but with no collar. He seemed exceptionally friendly so we stopped to play with him, throwing a stick which he retrieved several times with glee. When we resumed our walk, he followed us, and although I worried that he might be going too far from his home, I couldn't deny that we were enjoying his company. We felt an immediate bond with this adorable dog and even talked about adopting him if we learned that he didn't belong to anyone.

After about twenty minutes, we found ourselves walking along a dirt road in an unfamiliar area, our golden friend still trotting beside us. Hilly grasslands sloped upward beyond a fence on one side of the road, and houses spaced comfortably apart dotted the other. One house, almost hidden by shrubbery and shaded by tall trees, seemed somehow furtive. I shuddered as we passed it and felt an urge to be as far away from that place as possible.

Just then, the door to the house creaked open and five dogs rushed out, barking and growling as they ran toward us. I felt terrified and couldn't move. There was nowhere to hide and no time to run.



All of a sudden, our new friend appeared, like a genie, between the dogs and us. He faced them -- all five of them -- growling and baring his teeth. I was amazed to see the attacking dogs stop in their tracks ten feet away from him. Our protector held them there while we escaped, scurrying quickly down the road. At a safe distance, we looked back and saw the five dogs heading back toward their house.

But the Golden Retriever was nowhere in sight.

The road was quiet again.

I felt an ache in my heart; I missed our friend already. Instinctively, I knew he was not hurt.

With a feeling of emptiness, we made our way back to the house, hoping the whole way that we would see our Good Samaritan again. But it was not to be.

When I told our friend about the encounter, her eyes flew wide open as she exclaimed, "It was an angel!"

To this day I have no doubt. A four-legged angel protected us.

Reprinted by permission of Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC (c) 2010. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved.