Have you ever wondered what it is about dogs that they’re given the title of “Man’s Best Friend?” They’re not the most intelligent – that award goes to the dolphin or chimpanzee, depending on whose research you accept. They’re not the most industrious, that would be the ant; and while they love to call shotgun on a ride in the car, I’d rather have a pigeon as my navigator than a dog. They’re not as useful as the horse or mule, they don’t provide sustenance like the cow, sheep or goat.

And yet, close to seventy million US households have a dog; between twenty and twenty-five percent of all American homes. Cats come in second at around forty-six million households. There’s just something about dogs and humans that connect in a special way, and I believe it’s by divine design.

Dogs love us and have the ability to communicate it in ways that are both tangible and fulfilling to the human experience. Dr. Gregory Berns, a radiologist, proved this by successfully conducting a series of MRIs on his dog, and then writing a book about his process and the results called How Dogs Love Us in 2013. You can also find him on YouTube explaining it in a 2015 TED Talk.

So, why do I make the claim that dog is God spelled backwards? Consider the following.

Have you ever met a dog that was beloved by its owners and well taken care of? The vast majority of the time that dog is going to show the same kind of love and friendship to complete strangers as to its owners. Dogs naturally crave the company of humans, the more the better! They love being in the center of what their people are doing, and to a dog the friend of my owner is my friend too!

In the book of Exodus, God describes Himself to Moses in this way: “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands…” Throughout scripture, God states that His greatest joy and delight is having relationships with the children He has created. There is no greater satisfaction to Him than a loving relationship with His kids. Jesus died on the cross to prove it.

Anyone who has ever owned a dog will tell you they are faithful and loyal companions. Where you go, they go, what you do, they want to do also. Dogs bond with their humans and find nothing more interesting than being involved in whatever they are doing. When we sit and rest, our pups will too. When we get up to move around, they’ll get up and follow. When we have to leave them, they feel lonely; when we return, they show their excitement and joy at seeing us again with wagging tails and wet tongue kisses.

God makes promises in His word to us like “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8) “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:4). He is a constant companion, a ready guide, a “friend that sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24).

Dogs are incredibly intuitive at an emotional level. When you’re down, they sense it and turn on the sweetness and cuddles. They stay even closer to us than normal. They have an ability to dial up their love toward us when we’re at our lowest. They will seek us out in our low moments to offer their comfort and care. They don’t do anything. They just be there; with us and for us.

I think about Hagar alone, rejected and friendless (Genesis 16), the socially outcast woman at the well (John 4), Joshua petrified at having to lead the children of Israel after the death of Moses (Joshua 1), God hearing the cries of affliction from the Israelites in Egypt (Exodus 3). Story after story in the bible where God comforts us in our times of hurt, pain, sorrow, frustration and anguish. From His heart of love for us, there could only be one response. Comfort.

While dogs have big hearts of love for everyone, they will guard and protect their people and even property with ferocity if needed. Some dogs are specifically trained for this purpose, but the training builds off of what is already natural. Some dogs have shown extra protection for babies and small children. They see themselves not only as part of the pack, but the main protector of the members of the pack. If you want to hurt a member of the pack, you’re going to have to go through them to do it.

The bible is filled with stories of God’s protection in times of trouble. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3), the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea to escape the pursuing Egyptians (Exodus 14), Hezekiah and the Assyrian army (2 Chronicles 32). “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” (Ps 91:14-15) “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3) “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will protect them from those who malign them.” (Psalm 12:5). He describes Himself as an ever-present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

Dogs can be trained to be guides for the blind. God says “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:8)

Pet therapy is known for lifting spirits and lowering blood pressure when patients interact with the dog. They’re naturally healing. God says “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26)

You could go hours and days without interacting with your dog, yet he will be right there ready and waiting to be with you when you come back to him like no time was ever lost. Isaiah 30:18 says “So the LORD must wait for you to come to Him so he can show you His love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God.”

When we call to our dogs, they come running with excitement at the prospect of doing something, or just being together. God says “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him” (Psalm 91:5), “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you” (Psalm 50:15), “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am’” (Isaiah 58:9).

“He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.” (Psalm 146:6). Everything God made, He made for a purpose. Everything has a role, a function and a reason for being exactly what it is and how it is.

I believe – among many, many other ways (see Psalm 19) – that God created dogs to be companions to us to show us what He is truly like. His love, His tenderness, His faithfulness, His loyalty toward us. He is compassionate, understanding, caring, giving. A dog asks for nothing but our love. If they make a demand upon us, it’s for our time, our attention, our friendship. They just want to be with us and share a life together with us. Nothing more than that. Their whole existence is wrapped up in giving and receiving love with us.

Just like God. He created us to have fellowship with Himself. Not to use us as slaves, servants or beasts of burden. God longs to call us friends (John 15:15), sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18), co-laborers with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9). All He wants, like any parent with their child, is a relationship based on mutual love and respect.

I started writing this post while my dog Sherlock was alive. I was thinking of all ways over the seventeen years we were together that I saw the love of God through how he loved and adored me. Sadly, he passed away in early September and left a hole in my heart. He embodied many of the things I’ve come to see in God. Love, faithfulness, loyalty, companionship, understanding, support, friendship and protection. He will be missed.

One last way that dogs are like God. God is a restorer of broken hearts; “He heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3) Sherlock did all the healing he could do. He has finished his race. I believe all dogs really do go to heaven.

But taking his place is Watson. He’s only been with me for a week, and already he feels like a friend I’ve known for years. And because He knows the sorrow of loss on a personal level, God sent him with a special reminder of the love He put in dogs to remind us always of His love.