Why God Created Dogs

Pets are a reminder to balance joy and grief.
A fond farewell to the world’s greatest dog.

By: Karl Rove

Just after 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4, Little Bit Rove, the world’s greatest dog, passed from this life to the next. She apparently had an arrhythmia from birth and Bit’s loving heart gave out. She’d have been three in November.

My wife Karen and I had been without a dog since our border collie Nan died in August 2015. On Christmas 2019, Karen decided it was time. Her gift was a promise: I could pick out a dog from a nearby hunting preserve.

From the scrum of animals, a sleek black English cocker spaniel emerged, running straight for us. She jumped on me, her little white tail wagging eagerly, as if to say “Nice to meet you! We’ll have fun today! If the rumors are true you’re looking for a dog, keep me in mind!” The issue was settled.

So Little Bit traded up, moving from a crowded kennel and the converted barrel in which she slept to a giant suburban home with doting parents. It was February 2020, just before we were all locked down and separated from family and friends. Little Bit’s arrival was fortuitous. Who knows what our mental health during Covid would have been like without her?

Despite the several dog beds scattered around our home, she set her eyes on ours as her preferred sleeping spot. At first, she’d wait for an invitation, her snout and front paws perched on the bedspread. But a few weeks in she realized she was queen of the house and began jumping up into her rightful place in the middle where both her subjects could scratch and rub her.

Little Bit loved long walks, especially at the ranch where she’d match each of our miles with two or three of her own, zigging and zagging over hills and pastures.

She required daily trips to the park and when she tired of playing ball she’d retrieve it and run back, then swerve off at the last second, clutching the ball in her mouth.

A great traveler, Little Bit loved riding in cars—. Every open car door was an invitation to jump in. Everyone loved Little Bit, and she returned their affection, offering enthusiastic greetings to friends. Dog sitters would fight over the opportunity to be with her, though we eventually started driving for vacations so that she could come along.

For 18 months this loving, joyous spirit was a big part of our family. On vacation the Saturday before last, we slept in, Little Bit wedged right up against me for warmth. We went for her morning business, then she ran cheerfully through the hotel to report to Karen and snuggle more, rising after a while for breakfast. A few minutes later, she went into convulsions. She recovered somewhat on the frantic ride to the vet’s but was gone within the hour.

I’m no theologian, but believe God grants us pets to encourage us to give and receive unconditional love—to see loyalty personified and to remind us that we must balance joy and delight with loss and grief in this transitory life.

Karen and I are so grateful Little Bit was part of our family, even for a short while. She’ll always be in our hearts. RIP, LB.

Excerpted from Wall St Journal, Sept. 15, 2021

Regina’s note: This piece received an enormous number of comments. All unsurprisingly from dog lovers. Mr. Rove, a controversial and often disliked politician, earned many thoughtful comments from both sides of the aisle. One of my favorites: Dogs (and cats) transcend political differences. Anyone who loves and cares for one is almost certainly a good person. Each adoption pushes humanity a tiny bit towards a better and more compassionate world. Wonderful story Mr. Rove and RIP Little Bit. ■