Only a Dog (poem)

Only a Dog (author unknown)
Do you remember thinking it was time that the kids learned some responsibility & scanning the newspaper ads for a cheap dog for sale?


Do you remember bringing home this little ball of shivering fur & putting her out in the yard on a chain that was too heavy, on a night that was too cold?
Of course you don’t remember this
After all, she is only a dog.

Do you remember this baby crying because she was afraid & alone?
Do you remember screaming at her to be quiet & finally going out there to kick her & drive home the lesson?
Of course you don’t remember this
After all, she is only a dog.

Do you remember the many times you noticed her water bowl empty & her food bowl was covered with mould & thinking it was the kids’ job to take care of her?
Do you remember seeing that her coat was dull & lifeless &, in many places, chewed away down to the skin because of the parasites no one took the time to rid her of?
Of course you don’t remember this
After all, she is only a dog.

Do you remember her first heat & the neighbour’s male visiting her night after night? Do you remember thinking that letting her have the puppies would be a good experience for the kids?
Do you remember that every one of those pup died because their mother was no more than a pup herself ?
Of course you don’t remember this
After all, she is only a dog.

I know you remember the animal control officer coming to the house, accusing you of animal cruelty & taking her away because you couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
After all, she is only a dog.

I thought you might be interested in how this girl is doing today.
You see, once she found a home that gave her love, attention & proper care, she blossomed into a beautiful, loyal companion.
To these people, she is much more than only a dog.

She became a Therapy Dog & now goes to nursing homes & hospices, where she brightens the lives of the infirm & dying.
To some of these people she has given hope. To others she’s given a reason to keep living. To even others, she’s given them the will to die peacefully, with a smile on their lips. To these people, she is much more than only a dog

Why did that filthy, flea-ridden animal, chained in your back garden, suddenly become so important to so many? Because she never gave up on her trust in people & she never once thought “After all, he is only a human”


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