"Do I go home today?"...and other rescue poems

senileturtle

Do I Go Home Today?

By Sandi Thompson ~

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,
they showered me with toys.
I sure do love my family
especially the 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 my leash,
I'm very proud to say.

These are things I'll never forget
a cherished memory.
I now live in a 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 ones and the new.

The kids and I would grab a rag
for hours we would tug.
So I thought I did the right thing
when I chewed the bathroom rug.

They said that I was out of control,
and would have to live outside.
This I did not understand
although I tried and tried.

The walks stopped, one by one;
they said they hadn't time.
I wish that I could change things,
I wish I knew my crime.

My life became so lonely,
in the back yard 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, kissed me goodbye.

If I'd only had some classes,
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 the worker say.
Does this mean a second chance?
Do I go home today?

-

More rescue poems here:

http://www.treetopsrescue.org/info/display?PageID=1868

catkins

Typing this with tears running down my face. So sad and yet sadly so true.

I wish people would think longer and harder before they get any pet. I know people who have got cute puppies and then got rid of them because they chewed something or messed on the carpet or got too big. Just what do people expect?

The person who got rid of their pup at 7 months because it kept messing on the carpet wasn't amused when I asked how old their children were before they were toilet trained.

senileturtle

Rescue first imo. Always had rescues, always will. There needs to be more education out there about what happens if you (generic) and others keep saying no to rescue animals.

One of our dogs was in the shelter for 9 months before we took him home. He'd been tied up outside on a chain by his previous owners - a bit like the one in the poem.