Secrets of a Dog Lover

As well as blogging and writing a bit of fiction, I also enjoy writing poetry. I recently wrote this poem for a Scottish Book Trust ‘Secrets and Confessions’ campaign and thought it might be a nice one to share on here. My secret is all about my dog. I wonder how many dog lovers can relate?

I like my dog more than I like many humans.
A statement not meant to offend man or woman,
But he is my friend, my companion, my boy,
All he asks for are walks, a warm bed and a toy.

My dog’s shown me nature, secret places to go,
A love for the land perhaps not there before,
Sunrises, sunsets; some days bleary eyed ventures,
Filling lungs with fresh air and the scent of adventure.

He welcomes me home with a dance and a wiggle,
Slapping tail on his body and making me giggle,
Bringing shoe, sock, hat, glove as my welcoming platter,
An outpouring of love so I know that I matter.

I haven’t seen humans do the welcome home dance,
Instead leaving the truths of delight down to chance,
What if we tried it, what joy would be in it,
If we danced for the loved ones just gone for a minute.

I don’t mean my dog’s perfect, he’s not even quite good,
He barks on his lead and can sometimes be rude,
He is nervous and jumpy, hates traffic, surprises,
For him no Facebook filter; for his faults no disguises.

When he lays on my lap, all these faults are forgiven,
I’m reminded that I am his reason for living,
He tells me his stories without saying a word,
A dog’s talked to you too, but you may not have heard.

My dog loves me whatever, on both good days and bad,
Whether happy or grumpy, whether selfish or sad,
A grey hair, a wrinkle, a smile telling lies,
Through it all my dog looks with the same loving eyes.

My dog has sharp teeth but won’t use them to bite me,
He has strong limbs, and claws, but won’t use them to fight me,
When I loosen his lead he could go, run away,
But he always comes back; choosing only to stay.

With him I find solitude without being alone,
A warm beating heart binding family; home,
No grudges are held, and all humans are equal,
No need for possessions – he’ll leave those to people.

A dog stays by your side till his very last day,
And he’ll walk to the ends of the earth if you say,
When a dog dies he leaves us awash with emotion,
For a life filled with love and the sweetest devotion.

So these are my reasons, for the secret I’ve told you,
Dogs might make better humans, but I’m not here to scold you,
Let’s just listen and learn from these friends we hold close,
Because sometimes the ones who say nothing know most.

And if dogs became humans, wouldn’t that be exciting,
A world with less judgement, less hate and less fighting.
So that’s my confession, not too shocking but true,
And if humans were dogs I’d like them the best too.