The Puppy Who Learned to Listen: A story about listening, prayer, and God’s gentle guidance
Shhh. Do you hear that? It’s quiet. It’s silence. Ribby was curious at this quiet. His tail went up, but wasn’t wagging like it usually did when he went outside to play. Ribby wasn’t sure what to do, so he stood still for a moment.
His nose automatically started sniffing without him thinking about it, and his ears perked up. His eyes started to roam the backyard, but again, there wasn’t much. His beagle brother was inside finishing his dinner, so Ribby was alone. Ribby was not alone very much, so this quiet was new to him.
Ribby was a rescue pup, so he was used to the shelter’s noise. At the shelter, there was always someone barking and whining of the other dogs as they all searched and hoped for a new home together. Silence was not familiar to Ribby, and he didn’t know what to do with it yet.
The wind blew, and Ribby closed his eyes. Blocking out the distraction of looking for something,
Ribby started to notice something there! A low ‘Bzzzzz-bzzzzz’ right by his ear. Hmmm, that must be those pesky bees back for more today, Ribby thought. I’ll definitely be leaving them alone.
Keeping his eyes closed, Ribby heard a ‘Whooooosh’ along with the cool breeze that brought that sound. Wow, this is pretty cool, Ribby thought.
‘Drip…drop….drip…drop.’ What in the world is that, Ribby thought to himself. He peeked open one eye to follow the new sound and saw the water from last night’s rainstorm dripping off the roof. Whew, Ribby told himself, it’s just water.
Ribby closed his eyes again. ‘Hehehehe!’ Oh, Ribby knew that one; the kids next door must be having fun too. He smiled to himself as he continued to listen.
‘Ribbit ribbit.’ Another sound Ribby would be leaving alone today for sure. The last time he decided to play with a frog, he was only going to carry the frog for a bit in his mouth, but that’s when something started making Ribby sick to his tummy, and he had to drop his frog friend. His mom told him later not to play with the frog because they would make him sick; the frog was just trying to protect themselves.
It was like a new game for Ribby, listening and trying to figure out what he heard. It was so much fun! He didn’t want to stop!
‘Chirp chirp!’ That’s one of my favorite sounds, Ribby thought, birds are so fun to watch, and something in me tells me I’m supposed to watch them and let my owner know they are there. But Ribby was having way too much fun to open his eyes just yet; he wanted to keep playing his newly discovered game.
‘Ribby, breakfast!’ Ribby’s eyes snapped open to that sound! He knew instantly who that was; he didn’t have to peek at all. It was his owner calling him. Ribby ran inside to snuggle his owner right away. Yes, he was hungry for breakfast, but more importantly, he was always excited to hear her voice and to know he was home, safe, and loved.
I am an aspiring children’s book author, passionate about creating meaningful, faith-filled stories that spark imagination and gentle conversations. Below are a few simple questions you can use with your child after reading to help them reflect, connect, and grow:
- What did the puppy do when he was all alone?
- What did the puppy hear?
- How do you think the puppy knew it was his owner calling him?
- Right! He knew his owner’s voice because he probably gets called all the time and is familiar with it. It’s kind of like when you know it’s your mom, dad, or teacher calling you without even having to see them! It is the same with God. The more you know about God by reading the bible, talking to Him in prayer, and going to Sunday School, the more you will know God’s voice, just like the puppy knew its owner’s voice.
- Let’s pray right now together. What is something you want God to know in our prayer? (Something you are proud of, excited for, sad, or scared about?)
Parents & Guardians, The puppy had to slow down to listen to the sounds around him. When I was writing this story, the sounds reminded me of the noise of the world around us, not necessarily bad, but they could distract us from who we need to really be listening to, God. It wasn’t until Ribby listened for a while that he heard his owner’s voice and felt loved. Brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray that you find that same love in hearing God’s voice. Here are a few verses to read, pray through, and learn more for yourself, too: Acts 2:17, Acts 2, John 10:27, Romans 8:14, Galatians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 2:12
With lots of faith and a little fur 🐾
Melanie Drews
Paws on God’s Path
Paws on God's Path 
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