Lometa's Perfect Puppy
Rudyard Kipling said it best:
There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.
When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
Then you will find – it’s your own affair --
But . . . you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.
When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone – wherever it goes – for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.
- - - excerpts from “The Power of the Dog”
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I have been involved with dogs much of my adult life : purebred or mixed breed - purchased, found, or adopted - big or small - puppy or adult.
I have no advice to give on choosing a new companion. My very best dogs have chosen me.