5 Simple Rules For A Happy New Year

* Things We Can Learn From A Dog

~ * ~
Never pass up the opportunity
to go for a joy ride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face
to be pure ecstasy.

When loved ones come home,
always run to greet them.

When it's in your best interest,
always practice obedience.

Let others know
when they've invaded your territory.

Take naps
and always stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be
something you're not.

If what you want lies buried,
dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day,

be silent, sit close by
and nuzzle them gently.

Delight in the simple joy
of a long walk.

Thrive on attention
and let people touch you.

Avoid biting
when a simple growl will do.

On hot days, drink lots of water
and lie under a shady tree.

When you are happy, dance around
and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you are criticized,

don't buy into the guilt thing and pout.

Run right back and make friends.
~*~

* A Stump For A Tail

~ * ~
You can't buy loyalty, they say
I bought it though, the other day;
You can't buy friendship, tried and true,
Well just the same, I bought that too.
I made my bid, and on the spot
Bought love and faith and a whole job lot
Of happiness, so all in all
The purchase price was pretty small.
I bought a single trusting heart,
That gave devotion from the start.
If you think these things are not
for sale, Buy a brown-eyed puppy with
a stump for a tail.


(unknown)
~ * ~

* The Reason A Dog Has So Many Friends ...

~ * ~
... is because he wags his tail - not his tongue!
~ * ~

* Room In Your Heart

'Mama Kitty' R.I.P. 2009

we love & miss you very much

~ * ~

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)

~ * ~

* Just My Dog

~ * ~
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...
henever...wherever--in case I need him.
And I expect I will--as I always have.
He is just my dog.

(Gene Hill)
~ * ~

* Best Place To Bury A Dog

~ * ~ 
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)

~ * ~