Penny Elms, a Dog News Examiner contributor, is a lifelong animal lover and has dedicated the past 4 years to a large, non-profit dog rescue in Washington.
Her poem, “I Am A Dog, Not A Thing” is an absolutely heartwarming and eyeopening look at how your dog really does feel about you, even though they can’t say it in ways we understand.
I am a dog. I am a living, breathing animal. I feel pain, joy, love, fear and pleasure.
I am not a thing. If I am hit – I will bruise, I will bleed, I will break. I will feel pain. I am not a thing.
I am a dog. I enjoy playtime, walk time, but more than anything, I enjoy time with my pack – my family – my people. I want nothing more than to be by the side of my human. I want to sleep where you sleep and walk where you walk. I am a dog and I feel love…I crave companionship.
I enjoy the touch of a kind hand and the softness of a good bed. I want to be inside of the home with my family, not stuck on the end of a chain or alone in a kennel or fenced yard for hours on end. I was born to be a companion, not to live a life of solitude.
I get too cold and I get too hot. I experience hunger and thirst. I am a living creature, not a thing.
When you leave, I want to go with you. If I stay behind, I will eagerly await your return. I long for the sound of your voice. I will do most anything to please you. I live to be your treasured companion.
I am a dog. My actions are not dictated by money, greed, or hatred. I do not know prejudice. I live in the moment and am ruled by love and loyalty.
Do not mistake me for a mindless object. I can feel and I can think. I can experience more than physical pain, I can feel fear and joy. I can feel love and confusion. I have emotions. I understand perhaps more than you do. I am able to comprehend the words you speak to me, but you are not always able to understand me.
I am a dog. I am not able to care for myself without your help. If you choose to tie me up and refuse to feed me, I will starve. If you abandon me on a rural road, I will experience fear and loneliness. I will search for you and wonder why I have been left behind. I am not a piece of property to be dumped and forgotten.
If you choose to leave me at a shelter, I will be frightened and bewildered. I will watch for your return with every footfall that approaches my kennel run.
I am a dog – a living, breathing creature. If you choose to take me home, please provide me with the things that I need to keep me healthy and happy.
Provide me with good food, clean water, warm shelter and your love. Do not abandon me. Do not kick me. Do not dump me when your life gets too busy. Make a commitment to me for the entirety of my life, or do not take me home in the first place.
If you desert me, I do not have the means to care for myself. I am at the mercy of the kindness of people – if I fall into the wrong hands, my life will be ruined.
I will experience pain, fear and loneliness. If I wind up in an animal shelter, I have only my eyes to implore someone to save me, and my tail to show you that I am a friend. If that is not good enough, I will die.
I am a dog. I want to give and receive love. I want to live. I am not a thing. I am not a piece of property. Please do not discard me. Please treat me with kindness, love and respect. I promise to repay you with unconditional love for as long as I live.
Are there any dog poems out there that you like? Let us know on Facebook or send us an email and we might post it!
References:
1. Examiner 2. Wikimedia 3. WallpaperUp
Such a beautiful poem! How they love us, and how much WE should LOVE them! This poem brought tears to my eyes.
If dogs could only speak to the ones who mistreat them and tell them how it hurts inside. That’s so true a Dog is not a Thing it is a companion for life. They count on you for unconditional love and respect. Give it to them. Don’t walk away. How would you feel if you were abandoned and left on the streets to fend for yourself. Love your animals Dint get one if you can not care for it properly. They have feelings just like we do.
This poem is so beautiful! It imediately made me look at my dogs so differently. My family is a part of our dog’s pack. Our dogs are part of our family and they love us just as much as we love them.
A beautiful poem. I agree to everything you said in your poem. There are so many dogs that are abused and neglected. It hurts me to see and hear about them. If I could take them all in I would give them all the love and take care of them.
Every words is true and every said is absolute right. Dog is the best friend in the world to human. We should love and keep them like part of the family.
[…] Fuente: Three million dogs […]
This is a poem about our Labrador my husband wrote when he passed away………………No need to close the garden gate or fill the wishing well/No need to brush off dog hairs or hide the doggy smell/No one to come and greet you as you walk in through the door/No friendly bark when pulling up,just nothing any more./So how can we get over losing our best friend,we’ll sit and look at pictures and start to reminisce,and wonder why we had to have a hurt as much as this./They say that time will heal all pain,/I’m sure the saying is true,/But in our heart there’s still a place,/WE DON’T HALF MISS YOU BLEU
They were named “dog”. Spelled backwards “God”. Unconditional love! Get the picture?!!!!!
Dogs dont always live in the moment. If we can agree on this simple fact – their lives would be easier.