SOME DOG NEEDS YOU
by J.D. O'BRIEN
This poem was passed on by Grinshill Animal Rescue and is dedicated to all animal owners who have loved and lost their best friend and who have said, quite understandably, that they would never have another pet or go through such pain and sadness again. If these words can make just one of you bravely change your mind and some lonely pet is given a home as a result, then they will have been worth the typing.
I know you said that you could never go through that again,
I know you said
You couldn't stand the heartache and the pain.
I know you said
No other dog could take your best friend's place,
You said it so sincerely,
With such sadness in your face.
Please think again my dog-loving friend,
Sadly you had to part.
But he still walks beside you
In your mind and in your heart.
I know that you'd feel that you let him down,
If you found another friend
For you had cried your heart out,
When your hero faced the end.
I know if he could speak to you,
He'd tell you what to do.
He'd say 'somewhere a lonely dog
Needs someone good like you'.
I know that he would mention
That he loved you all his days
And he'd thank you for just being you,
With your dog loving ways.
And I know that he would tell you
Not to carry on alone,
To accept the fact that he is gone,
And give another dog a home.
He'd tell you that he'd watch over you
And guide you as you go
And your life will be filled with sunshine again,
You'll walk in a wonderful glow.
He'd tell you he was happy still,
That his living was not in vain,
Then he'd go off and wait at Heaven's Gate,
Until you meet again. |
AN OLD DOG'S PRAYER (Anon.)
One by one, they pass by my cage,
Too old, too worn, too broken, no way.
Way past his time, he can't run and play.
Then 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 grey, and my eyes slowly fail.
Who wants a dog so old and so frail?
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 grey, and the legs bent with age,
And felt I still had life beyond this 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. |  |  |
|
RESCUE POEM
Once I was a lonely dog, just looking for a home.
I had no place to go, no one to call my own.
I wandered up and down the streets, in rain in heat and snow.
I ate what ever I could find, I was always on the go.
My skin would itch, my feet were sore, my body ached with pain.
And no one stopped to give a pat or gently say my name.
I never saw a loving glance, I was always on the run.
For people thought that hurting me was really lots of fun.
And then one day I heard a voice so gentle, kind and sweet,
And arms so soft reached down to me and took me off my feet.
'No one again will hurt you' was whispered in my ear.
'You'll have a home to call your own where you will know no fear.'
'You will be dry, you will be warm, you'll have enough to eat
And rest assured that when you sleep, your dreams will all be sweet.'
I was afraid I must admit, I've lived so long in fear.
I can't remember when I let a human come so near.
And as she tended to my wounds, and bathed and brushed my fur
She told me 'bout the rescue group and what it meant to her.
She said, 'We are a circle, a line that never ends.
And in the centre there is you, protected by new friends.'
'And all around you are the ones that check the pounds,
And those that share their home after you've been found.
And all the other folk are searching near and far.
To find the perfect home for you, where you can be a star.'
She said, 'There is a family that's waiting patiently,
And pretty soon we'll find them, just you wait and see.
And then they'll join our circle, they'll help to make it grow,
So there'll be room for more like you, who have no place to go.'
I waited very patiently, the days they came and went.
Today's the day, I thought, my family will be sent.
Then just when I began to think it wasn't meant to be,
There were people standing there, just gazing down at me.
I could tell they felt it too, for a special dog like you.
Now every night I say a prayer to all the Gods that be.
Thank you for the life I live and all you've given me.
But most of all protect the dogs in the pound and on the street. And send a Rescue Person
ARLENE PACE | |  |
|
THE MEANING OF DOG RESCUE
Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked up in my warm new bed.
I'd like to open my baggage, lest I forget,
There is so much to carry - so much to regret.
Hmm . . . Yes there it is, right on the top.
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss;
And there by my leash hides Fear and Shame.
As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave -
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage, will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things -
And take me right back?
Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage, to never repack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage -
Will you still want me?
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
| |  |
|
TEN FAVOURS A DOG ASKS OF YOU
My life lasts between 10 to 16 years.
Every separation from you means suffering for me. Please think about this before you decide whether or not to take me!
Give me time to understand what you’re asking of me.
Instil confidence in me, I thrive on it.
Do not be angry with me for long, and don’t lock me up for punishment.
You have your work, your pleasure, your hobbies – I only have you.
Talk to me often. Even if I don’t understand the words, I do understand the tone of your voice, and your intent.
Know that no matter how I am being treated, I shall never forget it.
Keep in mind before you hit me that my jaws could crush the knuckles of your hand with ease, but I don’t use them on you.
Before you scold me when working with me, consider first that I may have been out in the sun for too long, or perhaps I have a worn out heart.
Take care of me when I am old. You too will be old one day.
Be with me when the going gets rough – everything is easier when you are beside me.
- Courtesy of Swiss Disaster Dog Association
|
DOG POEMS
