Hi MMD,  This is my humble contribution to the Millennium's Christmas.

Hans van Oost

 [ Well translated and told, Hans!  I like this story too.  :-)
 [  -- Robbie

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     The Sixth Day of Creation
  A Catalan story by Luis H. Daal

The dog had just been created, and he licked his Creator's hand.
And God gently caressed the dog's head.  "What would you like to have,
my dear friend dog?"

"Oh Lord, I would like to be in your home, in Heaven, and snuggle upon
a bunch of straw, close to the door."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible!" said the Lord. "I don't need a
dog.  There are no thieves yet, you know!"

"Now, when do you plan to create thieves, my Lord?"

"Never!  Look here, I'm tired now.  I have been creating for five days
already and it is time for me to take some rest.  I have just created
you, my dear dog, and you are the best creature I made so far, the
crown to my Creation.  I'd rather stop now.  It is not a good thing for
an artist to go farther than his inspiration.  If I would go on
creating I could make mistakes, you know.  Come on, dear dog, settle
upon Earth and be very happy".

The dog breathed a very deep sigh, which seemed to emerge right
from his heart.  "Please tell me, Lord, whatever would I do on Earth"?

"Well, er..., I would say: eat, drink, grow, and multiply", said
the Lord.

The dog took another deep sigh, sadder still than the first one.

"What's the matter?  What more do you want?"

"I need YOU, Lord! You are my Master!  Could you please go to
Earth with me and live there with me"?

"No, my dear friend", said the Lord.  "I assure you that I cannot
come with you to Earth to keep you company.  I have so many things
to see to -- Heaven, the Angels, the Comets...  They keep me busy all
the time, you know."

The dog, discouraged, dropped his head and walked away slowly.
Suddenly he retraced his steps.

"Oh, Lord! If I only could have anybody down there, a kind of Boss,
someone a bit like You, just a tiny bit..."

"No", said the Lord, "There is no one like that down there!"

Then the dog felt quite lost, and he softly beseeched: "If you really
want it, my Lord!  You could still try..."

"That cannot be!", said the Lord.  "I have created everything that can
be created.  My work is finished!  I could not make anything better than
you.  If I would create still another creature today, I feel that it
would be imperfect."

"Ah! My dear Lord!", said the dog, "I don't mind if the creature will
be imperfect!  If I only can follow it wherever it goes, and sleep at
its door when that is shut before me, I will be happy".

The Lord was amazed having made such a virtuous creature, so he said
to the dog: "Now go, my friend, your wish will be fulfilled."

And, continuing His creation, God created Man (and, implicitly, the
thieves)...

Of course, as God predicted, Man is imperfect.  But the dog does not
mind -- he just likes it!

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>From Marie Noel: El viatge de Nadal