INTERVIEW: Henry Martin

Henry Martin, artist, illustrator and writer, discusses his new book Dog Leads to God …

How did the Bible’s writers provide the inspiration for how to start Dog Leads to God?

 

I was inspired by the wider Biblical narrative about God creating with love and pronouncing it all ‘good’. The Bible’s writers were very good at affirming God’s love for humans, sheep and sparrows but sadly, less so when it came to dogs. Where dogs are mentioned (and it’s not often) they illustrate a negative point. I suspect that if the Bible was being written today there would be fewer sheep and many more dogs; Psalm 23 might begin, ‘The Lord is my owner, he takes me for great walks …’

 

How often are dogs mentioned in the Bible and in what context?

 

Dogs get around 45 mentions in the Bible all of which are negative. Calling an enemy a ‘dead dog’ is a go to insult throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. The one exception might come in one of Jesus’ parables. As Lazarus  lay at the rich man’s gate, dogs licked his wounds. This might be a sign, either of his utter degradation or of a smidgeon of kindness. Dog saliva contains various antibacterial enzymes, which might have benefitted Lazarus. I recognise that calling this a pro-dog story might be pushing my pro-dog agenda a step too far, but since no humans had stepped forward to be conduits for divine compassion to Lazarus, maybe God delegated this task to dogs.

 

What is it about being with dogs (and God) or being with God (and dogs) that makes you feel more yourself?

 

Wow! This is a huge question. Where to begin? Perhaps with genetics. Dogs are selectively distilled wolves; those with the friendliest genes were bred together over several generations to produce a new type of wolf that instinctively trusts humans. There is a concurrent theory that dogs selectively bred certain humans; some of our ancestors are those who benefitted from life with dogs and have passed on their pro-dog genes. Since I began writing about dogs I have encountered all sorts of people who need dogs in their lives, from comedian Jack Dee to those courageous souls who adopt senior dogs and give them a safe quiet home in their later years. Blaise Pascal famously said there's a God-shaped hole in every human heart. Maybe some of us also have a dog shaped space, which when empty, leaves us feeling less than our true selves.

 

What can our dogs teach us about joy?

 

Dogs have so much to teach us. They are better than us at so many things. They cannot teach us to detect scent as they do but we can reap several benefits from their superior noses. We can however learn from their irrepressible joy. They far outstrip us in resilience and joie de vivre. These attributes are contagious. My dogs make me smile every day, whether it’s their lazy cheek in demanding an early morning belly rub or their wild playfighting, they constantly remind me that life is joyful.

 

What can our dogs teach us about adversity?

 

Another great question which defies a simple answer. On one level they are incredible at making the most of reduced circumstances and adapting to new routines. When it comes to dealing with hostility they can be less inspirational. All too often they can be over-aggressive or overly cowed into submission, just like us humans. Within a pack there can be a wonderful alchemy where a calm canine leader can rehabilitate wilder, more erratic dogs with maybe the odd bark but principally by example. 

 

How does interaction with our dogs help us learn forgiveness?

 

Many people’s struggle with forgiveness begins with their inability to accept forgiveness for themselves. Here is a story about Bella. One day she was off-lead, on a family walk in the countryside. They cut across a field and Bella attacked a sheep. She had never done anything like this before. Her sudden burst of violence came as if from nowhere. All the same, there was no forgiveness for her. She was beaten and banished from the family home. Instead of her soft bed indoors, she slept on concrete outside, chained up in a yard with only a thin coat to protect her during the long winter months. I imagine her utter confusion, her total inability to connect her current state with her previous crime, her sweet nature raising fresh hopes whenever a family member passed by. At some point a male dog must have scaled the wall and she fell pregnant. Her salvation came after her pups had been born and she was taken to be neutered. The appalled vet contacted a rescue group who swiftly intervened and found her a new home. She now sleeps once again on a proper bed … or on a sofa … or outside in the sunshine … or in front of the fire.  Should she have been so punished? Of course not. Should she have been forgiven? In my view, the answer is a resounding YES (but it would be unwise to trust her around sheep again). Withholding forgiveness was worse than unwise; it was pointless and cruel. Those who struggle to receive forgiveness could ask themselves  two questions:

 

1. If Bella was my dog, would I forgive her? And then

2. If I could forgive Bella, how much more will God forgive me?

 

When you are out walking Hugo and Hera, which aspect of your faith do you mull over most often?

 

Hugo just wants to smell everything, and can be a bit of a nuisance with his resulting stop-start approach. Hera is the first to catch the sound of another creature, the bolting hare or the distant bounding deer. Neither bothers to wonder at the sunrise. I am fascinated by our different perceptions. This reminds me of my abilities and limitations as a human; I only perceive a fraction of what’s going on around us. The dogs enjoy riches beyond my ken, and vice versa. Somewhere beyond all three of us (and mysteriously alongside us) is the God who created the wonder of everything around us and misses nothing. My dogs boost my sense of awe at God.

 

Henry Martin is an artist, writer and spiritual director. This book is a companion to his The Dog Walker’s Guide to God. He has written other acclaimed books – Vincent van Gogh and the Good Samaritan, Eavesdropping and Alongside – and he has also illustrated Brian Sibley’s Joseph and the Three Gifts. Prior to becoming a Quaker, he worked as an ordained Anglican minister in Dagenham, Salford and as the Managing Chaplain at HMP Manchester (Strangeways). He currently lives in France with his husband and their two dogs, Hugo and Hera.

 

Dog Leads to God: 52 Divine Lessons from Your Canine is available now in hardback, priced £14.99.