Dogs I've Known and Loved

Ginger was first

Half dachshund, half beagle

My Dad brought her inside

And she peed all over the floor

I was six years old

When she died

On heart worm treatments

She got into something

She shouldn't have

Next was Buster

Part poodle, part something else small

Black with white paws

A gentle, highly intelligent dog

He learned to climb fences

By watching cats

Loved to wolf down Gaines burgers

The next door neighbor's pit bull killed him

Ripped his small body to shreds

Honey was next

Full-blooded beagle

Bursting with energy

But she needed companionship

So there was Mitzi, then Spot

Spot got her pregnant

Seven puppies, two of them died

Five survivors, then only four

Illness took Betsy away

Honey lived to be six years old

And died of unknown reasons

Many years passed

And then one day

A little white shih tzu

Wandered into our house

He belonged to neighbors

They were moving

And couldn't take him along

We kept him

And named him Willy

Willy is my best friend

He's always there for me

I'm never alone

As long as Willy is around

I love him more than anything

I wish I could keep him forever

But I know I can't

So I cherish every day

I have with him