I am a dog person, no question. I also love cats and other four legged creatures, but dogs hold a special place in my heart. Maybe it is because they offer unconditional love and are always happy to be with you and excited to see you. 
I love how they don’t expect anything from you; dogs only want to be be near their owner. They are the best of companions as dogs offer a judgement free zone: they don’t know difference between rich or poor, dogs don’t care what kind of car you drive, or the niceness of your house. And my dogs, no matter the blunder that happened while preparing dinner, will always eat the leftovers. They love my cooking, no matter what!
I have had a dog in my life since I was 8-years-old. My parents finally gave in to my constant nagging and bought their only child a 4 legged companion. Growing up I had small dogs that never caused much problems. However, as an adult I have adopted two medium sized dogs– and with larger dogs, come larger problems…in the form of household destruction. My dogs are part of the family, playmates to my kids, companions to myself and my husband, but I have finally met my match with the newest addition to our family, Scout. Scout is a black golden retriever, a living, breathing oxymoron, as she is is the most expensive ‘free’ dog I have come across. It has taken over two years to train her, and she is still not fully trained…if left unattended for a minute she still tries to get into the garbage cans. She has jumped on our kitchen table (counter top height) to steal a sandwich left on the table.
She has eaten a full bag of Halloween candy just brought in from one of my kids after a night of trick-or-treating. She has destroyed Christmas decorations, inside plants, board games– nothing escapes her senses. The one and only good thing that came out of her destruction, was an uptick in my writing. Scout has become my muse and below is an excerpt of the Children’s Poem I wrote about Scout. I titled it “Scout and Sylvia”
Scout and Sylvia
Scout was black and gray spotted,
with a long tail that was dotted.
She had floppy ears and a purple collar–
that cost more than a dollar.
Scout was so cute, so loveable,
but left unwatched, became destructible.
Being unattended for merely a minute or two,
she would run around the house, sniffing and searching to something to do —
from room to room she would roam
her large mouth would foam
and then chomp whatever was close by–
a chicken thigh
mince pie
stir fry
bonsai
necktie
even chocolate buckeyes.
I appreciate any feedback regarding the above excerpt. I submitted this poem as a picture book idea to a children’s literature publisher, but my poem was not accepted. I hope to edit some more and submit this poem and others to other publishing companies.
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