Admittedly, today’s devotional is not for those who have a weak stomach. If you do, may I suggest that you skip today’s and start back up tomorrow? I’m not trying to discourage you from reading the devotional and I promise my intro has a Biblical point. But it is a rather gross point to make.
With that warning in place and ensuring that I’m not liable for your upset stomach, let’s consider man’s best friend – your dog. A dog is a wonderful addition to a family. It provides unconditional love. It shows excitement over the least little bone of attention you throw its way. Dogs are easily entertained, and they provide a lot of entertainment for their owners.
One of the things Fido is fond of doing is giving doggy kisses. This alone grosses out some of you. That means you probably don’t own a dog. Dog owners expect that they are going to get licked. Now, before our dog owners say that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s, that’s not really true.
“Comparing a dog’s mouth to a human’s mouth is “like comparing apples and oranges,” according to Colin Harvey, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine and the executive secretary at the American Veterinary Dental College.
“This is because both dog and human mouths are full of microbes. While there is some overlap in the types of bacteria between species, there are also a host of different dental bacteria in your dog’s mouth that you won’t find in yours…
“In fact, dogs have more than 600 different types of bacteria in their mouths, a similar number to the 615 and counting types of bacteria Harvard researchers have found in human mouths. Other bacteria that we (humans and dogs) pick up from our environments can also get added to the mix.”1
So, why don’t we pick up dog diseases and vice versa? It’s because the majority of the bacteria in our mouths is not zoonotic. They don’t transfer between species. Now, before you give in and let your dog slobber all over you, perhaps you need to understand why your dog is doing this.
Sometimes, the dog is just bonding with you. It’s their way of showing affection. This also may be a signal that they feel comfortable and safe or that they are seeking that comfort and safety. Other times, they may be enjoying the sweaty salts from our skin. One other possibility, though, is that they are trying to get you to throw up your lunch!
“Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, head of the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College at Columbia University, told the American Kennel Club, “Researchers of wild canids—wolves, coyotes, foxes, and other wild dogs—report that puppies lick the face and muzzle of their mother when she returns from a hunt to her den—in order to get her to regurgitate for them.”2 If you have a dog, you know that they will eat the most disgusting things and regurgitation is one of them.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you! If you are still with me, some are wondering WHY? Why is he writing about this? Why did I keep reading? How can this possibly have any connection to the Bible? Glad you asked!
Proverbs 26:11 says, “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” This Proverb is so powerful that centuries after Solomon wrote it, Peter referred to it in 2 Peter 2:21-22. “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (22) But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
The Believer’s Bible Commentary says, “A dog is no more revolted by its own vomit than a 
fool by his folly; they both go back to that which is repulsive and disgusting. This verse is applied in 2 Peter 2:22 to people who experience moral reformation but who are never truly born again. Eventually they revert to their old ways.”
Returning to sin is as revolting as a dog lapping up a pile of puke – or, at least, it should be. I know this is extremely graphic but perhaps it would do us good to be captivated with the sights and smells of such a vile scene. This is how our God views sin and His warnings are clear. Will we heed them?
“I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.” (Psalms 85:8)
1https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/is-dogs-mouth-cleaner-than-humans/
2https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/why-does-my-dog-lick-me
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