"There is much we can learn from dogs. Dogs go with the flow of life. If they have to go live in a new home or with new people, they accept it, adapt easily, and become happy in their new environment. If they lose a leg in an accident, they learn to run with three legs. When they become old, they take it easy and don't feel sorry for themselves. Many people wish they could be as good as their dogs. I know I do," writes June Cotler, the editor of this delightful collection of poems, prose, and prayers about dogs and the abundant blessings they bring into our lives. The book is divided into these sections:
• A Dog's World
• Puppies
• Our Bond
• Devotion
• Aging Gracefully
• Partings
• Reflections
• Prayers, Blessings, and Inspiration
Anyone who has ever had a dog will want to purchase this volume which is filled with accounts of the many magical moments these dear companions provide. Check out the poems about puppies, aging dogs, the faithfulness and the devotion of these four-legged creatures, and their impact on our days and our doings. Here's one: "Unleashed" by Ginny Lowe Connors:
Oh you are a beautiful flash of purpose
as you race toward the geese,
scattering them, every one. The wide
arc of their furious flapping, their loud
squawking, their berating, their clamorous
lifting is like the great bells of hammered brass
ringing out in the Church of Brave Terriers
on the Day of Infinite Bones. And you,
my brown and white bullet burning with joy,
you are magnificent as a ringer of bells.
Please, allow me to be your student,
let me learn to be as purely alive as you.
We also liked "Our Old Dog" by Ann Riesfeld Boutte:
On good days, he shows traces
of his younger self.
He's eager for a walk
and has a sprightly step.
He sniffs the air,
and cocks his head,
ready to explore our
neighborhood, his world.
On other days,
he's racked by a cough,
ballad of his failing heart.
Curled up in a slice of sunlight,
he seems smaller than
his thirteen pounds.
We huddle beside him,
stroke his white-flecked coat,
absorb his lessons on slipping away.
