“Not the least hard thing to bear when
they go from us, these quiet friends,
is that they carry away with them so
many years of our lives.
Yet, if they find warmth therein, who would
begrudge them those years that they
have so guarded?
And whatever they take,
be sure they have deserved.”
John Galsworthy
“Pray steal me not, I’m Mrs. Dingley’s,
Whose heart in this
four-footed thing lies.”
Jonathan Swift
“There is one best place to bury a dog.
If you bury him in this spot, he will
come to you when you call – come to you
over the grim, dim frontier of death,
and down the well-remembered path,
and to your side again.
And though you call a dozen living
dogs to heel, they shall not growl at
him, nor resent his coming,
for he belongs there.
People may scoff at you, who see
no lightest blade of grass bent by his
footfall, who hear no whimper, people
who may never really have had a dog.
Smile at them, for you shall know
something that is hidden from them,
and which is well worth the knowing.
The one best place to bury a good
dog is in the heart of his master.”
Ben Hur Lampman
Sorrow fills a barren space;
you close your eyes and see my face
and think of times I made you laugh,
the love we shared, the bond we had,
the special way I needed you –
the friendship shared by just we two.
The day’s too quiet, the world seems older,
the wind blows now a little colder.
You gaze into the empty air
and look for me, but I’m not there –
I’m in heaven and I watch you,
and I see the world around you too.
I see little souls wearing fur,
souls who bark and souls who purr
born unwanted and unloved –
I see all this and more above –
I watch them suffer, I see them cry,
I see them lost, I watch them die.
I see unwanted thousands born –
and when they die, nobody mourns.
These little souls wearing fur
(Some who bark and some who purr)
are castaways who – unlike me –
will never know love or security.
A few short months they starve and roam,
Or caged in shelters – nobody takes home.
They’re special too (furballs of pleasure),
filled with love and each one, a treasure.
My pain and suffering came to an end,
so don’t cry for me, my person, my friend.
But think of the living –
those souls with fur
(some who bark and some who purr) –
And though our bond can’t be broken apart,
make room for another in your home and
your heart.
Caro Schubert-James
He is my other eyes that can see above
the clouds; my other ears that hear above
the winds. He is the part of me that can
reach out into the sea.
He has told me a thousand times over that
I am his reason for being: by the way he
rests against my leg; by the way he thumps
his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he
shows his hurt when I leave without taking him.
(I think it makes him sick with worry when he
is not along to care for me.)
When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive.
When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile.
When I am happy, he is joy unbounded.
When I am a fool, he ignores it.
When I succeed, he brags.
Without him, I am only another man. With him,
I am all-powerful.
He is loyalty itself.
He has taught me the meaning of devotion.
With him, I know a secret comfort and a
private peace. He has brought me understanding
where before I was ignorant.
His head on my knee can heal my human hurts.
His presence by my side is protection against
my fears of dark and unknown things.
He has promised to wait for me…
whenever…wherever–in case I need him.
And I expect I will–as I always have.
He is just my dog.
Gene Hill
If it should be that I grow weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then you must do what must be done,
For this last battle cannot be won.
You will be sad, I understand.
Don’t let your grief then stay your hand.
For this day, more than all the rest,
Your love for me must stand the test.
We’ve had so many happy years.
What is to come can hold no fears.
You’d not want me to suffer so;
The time has come — please let me go.
Take me where my need they’ll tend,
And please stay with me till the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me,
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time that you will see
The kindness that you did for me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I’ve been saved.
Please do not grieve — it must be you
Who had this painful thing to do.
We’ve been so close, we two, these years;
Don’t let your heart hold back its tears.
Anonymous