Dog Questions

Why God Created Dogs

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No one truly knows why God created dogs. We can only guess his reasoning behind the creation, as it falls in line with his ideology of what he wants for His people. The following information about why God created dogs is simply rooted in what we know about His love for us.

Why God Created Dogs

On the sixth day of Creation (Genesis 1:24), God created all land-living animals. In Genesis 1:25 God declared the creation of the animals as “good”. At the conclusion of Creation, God looked at “all he had made” and said it was all “very good.”

We know God had an intention to create dogs, but what could have been the reasoning behind it? Let’s dive into the possibilities.

dog with church

Animals Obey God

When God wanted Noah to build an ark and RECEIVE the animals that would be coming to it (Genesis 6:19). At that time, God gathered all of the animals he wanted to survive the floods and told them to go to the ark (Genesis 7:9).

God often uses animals to help people as evidenced by when Elijah ran away from Ahab and went to the Jordan River. At that time, God made the ravens bring him food (1 Kings 17:4-6).

It’s possible that God depends on animals to do some of His work. Who can blame Him? Animals, especially dogs, are dependable, loyal, and eager to please.

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Dogs Save Humans

Saint Roch, The Patron Saint of Dogs, spent most of his life helping people and giving them money. Unfortunately, as the plague wiped out Rome, he caught it. Since he was used to helping others, he didn’t want to burden them. He went into the forest to die.

Suffering, starving and alone, a stray dog found him. Saint Roch believed the dog was going to attack him and end his suffering. Instead, the dog ended his suffering in another way – he brought him bread.

Every day, the stray dog would return with more bread. Each time, the dog would stay by Saint Roch’s side to care for him. Over time, Saint Roch was healed (many believe the dog licked his wounds).

Dogs Do the Dirty Work

The mentions of dogs in the Bible aren’t admirable. Dogs are depicted as the scum of the Earth, as perceived by humans. God, on the other hand, may have felt that dogs were required to “do the dirty works.” For instance, Jeremiah 15:2-4 states, “I will send war to kill, dogs to drag the bodies away, and the birds of the air and wild animals to eat and destroy the bodies.”

In 1 Kings 21:22-25, the Lord says: ‘Dogs will eat the body of Jezebel by the wall of the city of Jezreel. As for the family of Ahab, whoever dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and whoever dies in the fields will be eaten by birds.’”

Dogs listened to God and did the dirty work on Earth. Why did God choose dogs for the above purposes? It quite possibly could be because they are intelligent.

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Wait – When Did God Create Dogs?

So, let’s point something out before we go any further.

Did God create Dogs on the sixth day? He created animals, right? But were dogs (as we know them) part of that creation? Probably not.

Dogs evolved from wolves about 20,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Dogs were domesticated in Biblical times. If you think about it, Biblical times were after Creation.

From Creation to 2,000 BC, God’s stories were shared verbally. At that time, there may not have been dogs.

It wasn’t until about 300 BC that the Old Testament was officially done.

The first mention of dogs was in Exodus 22:31. “You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs.”

Exodus’ time period is about 1446 BC, so dogs were around that time.

That’s interesting because wolves would have had to be domesticated between Creation and 1446 BC.

Did humans back then trust wolves enough to domesticate them?

Wolves aren’t mentioned in the Bible until Ezekiel 22:27 “Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain.”

The references in the Bible about wolves are that they are wild and ferocious. The word “dogs” was often used in the Bible negatively. The connotation was that dogs were lesser than them. For example:

Philippians 3:2 (NIV)

Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.

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The above isn’t about dogs the animals. People are being referred to as dogs.

1 Samuel 17:43 (NIV)

He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

Again, the reference is to a person. In this instance, the person is saying that dogs are beaten with sticks, not people.

But, then again, the above references were not of God. They were of God’s people.

DNA research shows that dogs have a very similar genetic makeup, so it’s possible that dogs did evolve from wolves, even though wolves were wild and dangerous.

Getting Back to Why Dog Created Dogs

God spelled backward is dog – coincidence? I don’t think so. God created dogs because they listened to Him and help Him do what he needed to with humans.

It’s possible that humans are the ones that looked down on dogs, which is why they are referred to as so negative in the Bible.

What we know about God now is that all living creatures were made with love. It was a way to give humans love from HIm. God created humans first and then animals. The animals were for the people because it was God’s way of loving them. He loves animals because he loves people.

The video below is touching and does a great job explaining the possible reasons why God created dogs.

Learn more about Dogs:

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What Does It Mean When a Dog Rubs Against You?

 

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