My visit didn't last long,
and I was re-homed within the month,
this time the family promised
that for no reason should I return!
They were shocked by my abilities
and at the speed which I could run,
I did try to tell them that I was young at heart
but they were fooled by my drooping skin.
They showed me off to all the world
and took me to a training class,
little did my owners know
I had been to one before!
And so I showed off all my skills
and learned a little more,
everyone always wanted me
but my owners said I was for keeps.
They said I was so gentle,
and loved to see me play.
And on my tenth year birthday
they had bought me a little treat.
I patiently waited and held out my paw,
praying for a butcher's bone,
but what came out their hands
was nothing I could eat!
It yelped and whined and jumped on me,
it bit my ankles and pestered me.
It stole my toys, my food, my bed
and most of all it stole my attention away.
I tried to tell him nicely that I didn't want to play,
but my owners just insisted that he was there to stay.
And so I tried to teach him the manners that I had,
but apparently I was too aggressive,
and I was back to being called bad.
My owners didn't stop him when he came into my bed,
nor did they correct him when he ate out of my bowl.
They often seemed to laugh at him
when he hung from my ears,
I wish I could have told them
how much it hurt me so.
And so they slowly slipped away
and left me in the background,
until one day they had enough
and told me that unless I learned to play nicely,
then I was going back.
My fragile bones didn't want to play at all,
and so for my tenth year birthday,
instead of buying me a ball,
they bought me a new puppy
which landed me back inside my cell.
And so here I am once again,
just like all the times before,
lonely and confused
on the concrete kennel floor.
