The donkey the prophet rode in the book of Numbers was sensitive enough to see the angel of the Lord with the sword when the prophet didn't know he was there. The animal did everything it could to save the man by not going in the angel's way.

Now when the donkey spoke, I believe it wasn't necessarily God speaking through it's tongue, but I believe the Lord God allowed and gave it speech to speak it's own mind. Its amazing to think of it in that way, that the ass actually thought and said, "Hey, what have I done that deserves your beating me these three times? Have I ever done anything like this before in my entire life?" (Num 22:28-30).

(Whats even more stranger is that Balaam spoke back to the Ass and carried on a conversation.)

God gave us a Rottweiler after I had a dream about the animal. We named him Davidson because our other dog at the time was named Harley. He's been a special part of our family ever since.

There was a soul winning reason behind that dream about our dog Davidson. I knew by the type of dream that I should seriously pray for such a dog. God delivered him up to me just two days later through a member of the Rock Riders Christian Motor Cycle group in Little Rock, AR.

When I went to pick up the dog, the biker brother said that Davidson, then named Trooper, (an ex-police dog), had bitten five people since his original master had left for the Armed Services. He warned, "What ever you do, DON'T PET HIS HEAD!" The Lord had his own instructions and impressed on me, "Show no fear and kneel. Tell the animal you are his new master and he will not harm you!"

The dog, then vicious, went into an attack run as I was stepping into the yard. He fastly approached with vicious barks and growls as I knelt stating loudly, "COME HERE and meet your NEW MASTER!
(I made REAL sure he heard those words!)

His jaws could have torn my nose off, but he stopped short of it and stared as I smiled cross eyed. He sniffed and let out a snort. His hot breath was in my face like a fat rhino.

I straightened my vision and looked straight into his eyes. Suddenly his big ode slobbery tongue covered my nose and mouth. "Ugh, I can tell right away, I'm going to have to do something about your breath boy! What have they been feeding you?" I asked. (Yes, I caught myself having a conversation with an animal too!)

"I won't eat anything but Alpo" the Rottweiler replied. (Just teasing)...

"Alpo. He won't eat anything else." The brother replied in response to my question. My immediately thoughts were to put him on a dry diet of high protein meal. I started to pet his head while enduring the dog kisses and the Rock Rider member yelled, "DON'T PET HIS HEAD!" Before he had finished his warning I was shaking and fluffing his head with both hands until we wallowed together in play. He gave many slobbering kisses to my hair until it stuck in a point.

With out a lease he walked by my side. I told the dog to heal, and he healed. I told Trooper to sit and he sat. I pointed and commanded the dog to get in the back seat of my classic '62 Plymouth and he went right in. Drools dripping to the seat covered the towels I had laid out.

I stopped at a Waffle House for coffee but first walked him around the parking lot. He obeyed my every command. I was amazed. What a dog! He waited just outside the doorway, but people were nervous. I was asked to put him up.

A lady, having observed the dog's obedience, offered the bed of her PU truck in view so I could observe him while I had my coffee. I lowered the tail gate and pointed, but before I could give a verbal command he jumped up and in and sat pretty.

He stayed there and kept his eyes on me, watching me through the window where I sat. Since that day, no one else can pet his head, except Carmen my wife, and my two children, and if you count our pet rooster as family, he too is allowed to lie next to him and peck it gently. What a sight! (I commanded him not to eat the rooster when I first brought it home as a chick, as I also commanded him not to hurt my wife and children.)

But just as he had done in the past, since our ownership he has bitten 5 other people to date. They made the mistake of attempting to pet his head after being fore warned not too! He also once ate our pet duck, because I had failed to introduce the duck with a command not to be eaten!

He has a great discernment and sense of smell. The ones that were bitten had all been drinking or smoking pot prior to visiting us. He will always stop barking by command... unless the ones who come near to him have been drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana. He will continue non stop barking as long as they are in sight.

Over the nine years we have owned him, we have been able to tell who the dopers and drinkers were before they cross our threshhold. In every case he's been 100% correct in his detection.

When counseling those with drinking or pot problems there is nothing that can be hidden from our dog Davidson. If they are stoned, and trying to hide it, it is reveiled.

Some time later, a troubled neighbor took us to court on a false claim that Davidson barked ALL THE TIME! (There were a lot of druggies and drunks visiting us for counseling during that period.).

I represented our case as the Lord led me. Unknown to me, a certain man in the court room was touched in his heart with how I stood up for my dog and for the truth. We won the case and were able to keep Davidson and we were not fined.

A few months later I was walking downtown and the Lord prompted me to speak to a man, who apparently was drunk. While speaking to him, he mentioned he was going to get even drunker. "Leave me alone! "I'm going to end it all and blown my brains out tonight!! Why should YOU CARE?!" he sneered. He got pretty nasty.

I felt inclined by the Lord not be phased by his harsh words. I felt like I needed to stay in his face and to let him get a good look at me. I was pretty bold when I said, "NO! YOU WILL NOT KILL YOURSELF!" I even thought the drunk man might swing on me as my face was as close to his as it was to Davidson's.

I knew he was in a serious state and the chance of a slug to the face didn't phase me. I knew the boldness was of the Lord and I might be the man's last instrument of hope.

He took a double take and recognized me from the court room. He stated loudly, "YOU'RE THE DOG MAN! You're the one who stood up for your Rottweiler in court! I was there and stayed until the end to see what would happen!"

He was the man whose heart was touched.

"Yes, and Jesus loves you much greater than I love my dog! It was he who sent me to you now!" I replied. A wonder mixed with a glimmer of hope seemed to cross his expression, then he looked down. "Would you like to pray and receive Jesus into your heart and life?" I asked. "YES, I WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE JESUS RIGHT NOW!" he yelled in a way that shocked me. "Ok, ok." I repeated softly.

There he was, like Davidson, just another hard case with a vicious growl who only needed someone to care.

He broke into a weeping cry. We prayed together and I led him in prayer to the cross. God resurrected his whole attitude and outlook as the Holy Spirit came upon the man and instantly sobered him! Jesus gave him purpose, direction and love. The man did not take his life!

Weeks later he thanked me and was still serving the Lord with gladness!

God's animals are so cool...especially Davidson our soul winning ex-cop dog!

In the Summer of 2001 Davidson passed away. (Not long after this story was written) He lived to be about 12 years old or 84 in dog years.

I had discontinued keeping him on a chain, because he never roamed anyway, he always stayed within the bounds of our unfenced in yard, after I had trained him to do so. Unless I gave him the OK command at night to run, in which he'd surely run, but he always seemed to come home after about two runs around the block.

On the day he died he came and layed next to my front door one morning. He scratched on the door, but I just spoke to him through the door, as I was getting dressed for an extremely busy day.

Not long afterwards I heard him raise up and leave. He never returned. I never found him after an extensive search which I knew afterwards by the Lord, he had passed.

And then I also knew old Davidson was only trying to say goodbye.

Davidson. Soul Winning Ex-cop Dog! © Copyright 2001 ~ by Chaplain Scott
All rights reserved to www.chaplainscott.com

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