Gordie Jackson, thanks for mentioning me along with Erika Sauter. I was inspired the moment I read your post. Here I am, albeit several days later, to make my contribution.
I have never had a dog as a pet, only cats, but I am fond of all animals and believe they have a capacity for emotion that rivals (and often surpasses) our own.
Dogs to me embody great loyalty, devotion, and the sort of unconditional love that we seldom deserve. This seems to translate very easily into the analogy you created, Gordie, using your beloved childhood companion to represent the comfort and familiarity of a faith that will wait as long as you need it to for you to come home.
Cats are just as loyal and devoted but they have such different ways of seeing the world — literally, as evidenced by their penchant for strange and acrobatic poses. I like to think of this trait, along with their fabled curiosity, as akin to the exploration and questioning that many of us undertake during our lives.
Dog walks with us, always at our side. Cat shows us paths, letting us decide.
