Poems
That Touch Your Heart
Do I Go Home Today!
My family brought me home cradled in their arms.
They cuddled me and smiled at me and said I was full of
charm.
They played with me and laughed with me and showered me
with toys.
I sure do love
my family, especially the little girls and boys.
The children loved to feed me; they gave me special treats.
They even let me sleep with them -- all snuggled in the
sheets.
I used to go for walks, often several times a day.
They even fought to hold the leash, I'm very proud to say!
These are the things I'll not forget -- a cherished memory.
I now live in the shelter -- without my family.
They used to laugh and praise me when I played with that
old shoe.
But I didn't know the difference between the old one and
the new.
The kids and I would grab a rug, for hours we would tug.
So I thought I did the right thing when I chewed the bedroom
rug.
They said I was out of control and would have to live outside.
This I didn't understand, although I tried and tried!
The walks stopped one by one; they said they hadn't the
time.
I wish that I could change things; I wish I knew my crime.
My life became so lonely in the backyard, on a chain.
I barked and barked all day long to keep from going insane.
So they brought me to the shelter but were embarrassed to
say why. They said I caused an allergy, and then they each
kissed me good-bye.
If I'd only had some training as a little pup.
I wouldn't have been so hard to handle when I was all grown
up.
"You only have one day left," I heard a worker
say.
Does that mean I have a second chance?
Do I go home today?
~
Sandi Thompson
One by one, they
pass my cage, Too old,
too worn, too broken,
no way.
Way past his time, he can't run and play.
The they shake their heads slowly and go on their way.
A little old man, arthritic and sore, it seems I am not
wanted anymore.
I once had a home, I once had a bed, a place that was warm,
and where I was fed. Now my muzzle is gray, and my eyes
slowly fail. Who wants a dog so old and so frill?
My family decided
I didn't belong, I got in their way,
my attitude was wrong. Whatever excuse they made in their
head, Can't justify how they left me for dead. Now I sit
in this cage,
where day after day, the younger dogs get adopted away.
When I had almost come to the end of my rope,
you saw my face, and I finally had hope. You
saw through the gray,
and the legs bent with age, and
felt I still had life beyond the cage.
You took me home,
gave me food and a bed, and shared your own pillow with
my poor tired head. We snuggle and play, and you talk
to me low, you love me so dearly, you want me to know.
I may have lived
most of my life with another, but you outshine
them with a love so much stronger. And I promise to return
all the love I can give, to you, my dear person, as long
as I live.
I may be with
you for a week or for years, we
will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears. And
when the time comes
that God deems I must leave, I
know you will cry and your heart,
it will grieve.
And when I arrive
at the Bridge, all brand new, my
thoughts and
my heart will still be with you. And
I will brag to all who will hear,
of the person who made
my last days so dear.
~Author Unknown
_____________________
The World From The Eyes of A Canine
It
is awful to be a dog. We do not choose the home we live
in,
or the owner we end up with.
If we want to leave an unhappy home, we run away, or commit
crimes for which we are forever punished.
If we choose to run away, we are either taken back to the
same home, or given away to another home which may prove
just as horrid. If we are left orphans, and do not find
another home, our short life on earth may quickly be ended.
We cannot argue with our owners, except by refusing to carry
out commands, or in worse case, biting the person we disagree
with.
We do not speak, so therapists cannot help us, and the vets
can
only examine us.
A trainer may or may not understand us, and for a brief
moment, give us supreme happiness, or dejected hopelessness.
Yet with all the troubles in the world, we are always ready
to give our unconditional love and affection.
So why can you not understand us! or take the time to understand
us. We can read the minds of our owners, yet our simplest
wants
are often misunderstood by humans.
We
are always interested in things like smells, which human
beings seem to totally disregard. And when certain smells
particularly interests us, we may not hear our owners calling
us, and for which, again, we will forever be punished.
Yes, it is a cruel world out there.
We are expected and encouraged to defend our homes, yet
if we defend too well, we are punished for biting, and once
again, our
short life may quickly be ended.
How are we to know which people needed biting and which
people just needed frightening!
We are often left behind suddenly in strange boarding kennels,
with people we do not know or like, and no matter how upset
we get, we are still deserted again and again.
And parents! please do not purchase us as a part of your
children's toy collection. We will only end up heart broken
and tossed out with the old collection.
Now that I have said my peace, yes, the life of a dog is
a hard one.
~Barbara Woodhouse
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