Now I must confess that I know very little about dog training. However, I have thought about the relationship between humans and animals in the Bible and this might be a good starting point in developing a Christian perspective on dog training.

In the beginning, God entrusted the well-being of the animals and plants to humans. We were called to exercise loving and accountable rule over non-human creation. The bad news is that the harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship between humans and animals that God intended was distorted by human disobedience. As a result, human-animal relations in our world are frequently characterized by violence and exploitation.

The good news is that God is in the process of restoring all creation, including the relationship between humans and animals. The prophet Isaiah spoke to the coming of one who would bring an end to the violence and distortion of human and animal relationships.

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
[Isaiah 11:6-11]

As a Christian, I understand Isaiah's prophesy as being fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is in the process of restoring all things to God and making them new. So what light does this biblical picture shed on the work of training dogs? If I were a Christian dog trainer, such a perspective would help me to see my work as a calling or means of serving God, not simply how I make my living. You see, as a dog trainer, I can share in Jesus' redemptive work of restoring the broken relationship between humans and animals. Every day I call domineering humans to exercise a loving rule over their dogs. I call people to live up to their God-given responsibilities to care for and respect their canine friends.

I know that the most fruitful animal-human relationships are partnerships in which both the human need for companionship and the dog's need for exercise, food and fair treatment are met. I call those who would abdicate their responsibilities to their animals to account and insist that they give their animals the time and attention they deserve. By training dogs, I also call on them to behave in ways that promote safe and productive relations with human beings. I work hard to curb aggressive tendencies in the animals I train.

Moreover, I know that a properly trained dog brings much joy into a person's home. I know that close relationships with pets are good for the mental and physical health of human beings. So in that sense, my work contributes to human happiness and relief from suffering.

I believe that if I were a Christian dog trainer, such a perspective would help me to see that my faith has real meaning and relevance outside of the church walls. It would affirm that I have a part to play in God's unfolding story of redemption. Moreover, that knowledge would make a big difference in how I feel about and actually carry out my work.

This article first appeared in the diocesan newspaper Dialogue, and is reprinted with the author's permission.