MORE THAN PUPPY LOVE

Dogs are on display at Crufts

Feature by Emily Bright

EVERY dog will have its day at Crufts, as the canine event at the NEC Birmingham heads towards its finale with the best in show presentation on Sunday (12 March).

The show highlights the finest attributes of our four-legged friends through displays and trials of agility and obedience.

More than 200 pedigree breeds, rescue dogs and crossbreeds from all walks of life are enjoying the limelight this year. There are displays from police dogs and from medical detection dogs, who can recognise odours of an illness or alert their owners to impending emergencies such as diabetic sugar level problems. There is even a hero dog award. Nominees include a dog that assists his owner in dealing with chronic pain and a Labrador retriever that has helped a family through hard times.

There is even a hero dog award

Showcasing schnauzers, spaniels, beagles and boxers, Crufts allows people to paws for thought about the comfort and love that canines can bring.

Support is welcome when we face trials in life, whether it comes from spending time with a pet, receiving a call from a loved one or encountering the kindness of a stranger.

But, even if we do experience such moments, there can still be times in our lives when we need more. Whether we’re in the depths of grief or struggling to make ends meet, it can seem difficult to carry on. However, there is someone we can turn to who can provide all the comfort, love and strength we need.

The early Christian writer Paul endured his fair share of hardships –including imprisonment, shipwreck and persecution. But he relied on his relationship with God to see him through. He wrote: ‘He is the Father of compassion, the God of all comfort. He consoles us as we endure the pain and hardship of life so that we may draw from his comfort and share it with others in their own struggles’ (2 Corinthians 1:3 and 4 The Voice).

God is ready and waiting to provide us all with the same comfort today – we just need to run to him for help. If we do, he will show himself to be our best companion in life.