Kepler on Dawgs & Frogs

(4 Minute Read. 11Jan2023)

Woof! Woof!
This is Kepler, Master’s Jack Russell terrier, writing another article for Master’s Bible-Science Guy Blog.

Master has been encouraging me to write more because people say they like the way I think and enjoy my reports of my adventures. So here goes with more Kepler thoughts.

Recently I have been hearing about Bulldogs fighting Horned Frogs in the news. And whenever newscasts mention dogs, I pay close attention.

Kepler Loves Bulldogs

Now I really like bulldogs. I have met many throughout my campground travels. I especially enjoyed Spike, an almost completely white English bulldog. Of course I think white dogs are the best.

Spike looked sad the day I met him last summer. He said a black French poodle had pranced by with campers who remarked on how ugly Spike was.

I learned from Spike that the Great Creator gave Spike his “ugliness” for a reason. Spike’s job as a bulldog is to grab on with his jaws, to hold on, and to never let go.

Spike told me that his well-set-back nose permits him to maintain his jaw grip and still breathe. His loosely-wrinkled face skin provides channels to drain dripping blood away from his eyes and air passages as he hangs on. Made good sense to me!

Master likes bulldogs too. He has roots in Georgia, so he likes the University of Georgia football team, often called the Dawgs. The Georgia Bulldogs won the CFP National Championship last year over Alabama 33-18 after earning that berth with a semifinal victory over Michigan 34-11.

When I heard CFP, I just knew it meant Constantly Feeding Pets. I got very excited because I only get one meal a day and I’m always hungry. But Master said CFP stands for College Football Playoff.

This year the University of Georgia Bulldogs were again in the CFP National Championship game after a thrilling come-from-behind semifinal victory over Ohio State 42-41. Georgia’s head coach Kirby Smart always emphasizes winning the 4th quarter, and Georgia did just that as they outscored Ohio State 18-3 in the fourth to win the game.

Master has the same fixation with finishing the course well. He and Missus love these “fourth quarter” verses that encourage pressing on well to the end:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Philippians 1:27)

On Monday, January 9, the undefeated University of Georgia Bulldogs (14-0) faced the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University (13-1) in the CFP National Championship game. The Bulldogs totally outplayed the Horned Frogs, dominating throughout the game. The Bulldogs won 65-7.

This was the first back-to-back championship in the CFP era. The 58-point margin was the greatest of any national championship game in history. It was also the greatest margin of any bowl game ever. Georgia has now won 33 of its last 34 games; 30 were won by 10 or more points.

Master and Missus watched the entire game with me. Missus was fairly voluble cheering for Georgia, and I even heard Master grunt with approval several times.

Fighting Okra
Mascot of Delta State Univ
Cleveland, MS

Kepler Ponders Horned Frogs

Now I have seen dozens of frogs at campgrounds all over the country, but I have never seen a single one with horns. I wondered who picked a made-up animal symbol like the Horned Frog for a mascot.

Horned Frogs could challenge these mascots for Worst Mascot Ever:
Maryland Terrapins (Turtles)
UC Irvine Anteaters
Delta State Fighting Okra of Cleveland, MS
Evergreen State Geoducks of Olympia, Washington
UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs

Just imagine going to a sporting event at UC Santa Cruz and having to yell, “Go Banana Slugs!” And who thought a vegetable with boxing gloves was a good mascot? Even worse, a geoduck is not a duck but the world’s largest burrowing clam weighing over two pounds. Maybe Horned Frogs is not such a bad mascot after all.

So what is a Horned Frog?

Guess what! I learned that the Horned Frog is real! It really is not a frog but a lizard, and should be called a Horned Lizard. But its round body and short snout make it look more like a frog than a lizard. Horned Frogs (Lizards) are mostly found in Texas. They are generally docile and non-threatening.

Texas Horned Lizard
(Horned Frog)

I was not surprised to learn that these unusual creatures run around Texas. When Master took me camping at Palo Duro Canyon in west Texas, I saw a centipede as long as Master’s foot! Texas also has horribly ugly things called armadillos wandering loose all over the state.

The Great Creator equipped Horned Frogs with several useful defenses. Their good camouflage makes them hard to see as shown in the picture. If threatened, they can puff up their body to appear bigger. Their bony horns make them difficult for predators to eat. Finally, a horned frog can shoot blood up to five feet out of its eyes! It can increase the blood pressure in the eyelid vessels which then erupt. The ejectant also contains a foul-tasting chemical that deters predators.

Master and I are continually awed by the Great Creator‘s ingenuity. We see so many amazing and unusual creatures He made.

Anyway, that’s how things look from the Kepler Dog House!

Till next time, this is Kepler signing off. Woof! Woof!

Questions to Ponder

1. What special characteristic has God given you that fits you for His particular purpose and calling in your life?
2. How can you train for a victorious “fourth quarter” in the game of life?

Share your thoughts on these questions in the comments below. It could encourage or help another reader.

For Christ and His Kingdom. Soli Deo Gloria. Alere Flammam Veritatis.

This is the 50th article in a series of blog posts on a precocious Jack Russell terrier named Kepler. Numbers 1-8 are by Kepler’s master, the BibleScienceGuy. Numbers 9-50 are by Kepler himself.
Read the prequels:
1. Why I Named Our Puppy “Kepler”
2. Kepler’s Kind
3. Kepler’s Lopsided Trade
4. Kepler’s Amazing Nose
5. Kepler’s Business Card
6. Kepler & the Psycho Squirrel (with video)
7. Taunting Kepler
8. Adam and Puppies

The following posts are by Kepler:
9. Who Taught Kepler?
10. Kepler Gets a Buddy (with video)
11. Kepler Chases a Squirrel (with video)
12. Kepler’s Complaint
13. Kepler’s To-Do List
14. Kepler and the Football Weekend
15. Kepler’s Favorite Store
16. Kepler at a Truck Stop
17. Kepler & Henry Catch a Squirrel
18. Kepler Finds Killdeer Eggs
19. Kepler Finds Robin Eggs
20. Kepler Lives to Tell the Tale
21. Kepler, Bears, & Raccoons
22. Kepler Mentors Henry
23. Kepler Gets a Bear
24. Kepler Finds Strange Eggs
25. Kepler Finds Duck Eggs
26. Kepler Gives Thanks
27. Kepler’s Newest Enemy
28. Kepler Loves Bulldogs
29. Kepler Ponders Snow
30. Kepler Wants to Move to Australia
31. Kepler’s Dating Profile
32. Kepler Meets Skunk
33. Kepler Wants to Be Good
34. Kepler on Guard
35. Kepler Chews On Grammar
36. Kepler for President
37. Kepler for President: Grins & Growls #1
38. Kepler for President: Grins & Growls #2
39. Kepler’s Water Guns
40. Kepler Remembers Henry (with video)
41. Kepler Gives a Virus Briefing
42. Kepler’s Campaign Advice
43. Kepler Ponders Senescence
44. Kepler’s AK-47
45. Kepler Talks Turkey
46. Kepler Versus the Squirrel
47. Kepler Hates This Word
48. Kepler and the FRIB
49. Kepler Finds Strange Creature

Read the sequel:
51. Kepler the Snow Commando

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©William T. Pelletier, Ph.D.
“contending earnestly for the faith”
“destroying speculations against the knowledge of God”
“for the defense of the gospel”
(Jude 1:3; 2 Cor 10:5; Phil 1:16)
Wednesday January 11, 2023 A.D.

But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;
And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.
Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;
And let the fish of the sea declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind? (Job 12:7-10)

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