Puppy Love

Image by Sue Cook
Dogs are my life
Ten year old me
jumped in front of a truck to save a stray Boston Terrier
I almost didn’t survive
My parents were not thrilled with my heroics
The dog was ok and found a home
I was grounded
Skip to today…
A pup that resembled late-great Piper Rose showed up on my feed
My heart lurched
Small
Soft
Black
Side-eye like nobody’s business
Instant love
I had found Piper Rose’s twin
My brain screamed at my heart to “halt.”
There might be a rescue dog that needs you
A pup begging for a home
She also may be…
Small
Soft
Black
and Abandoned
I recoiled at the thought of my girl abandoned
That despised word described her
abandoned
That is how we became family
Abandoned
Destined for the shelter
I found Pepper
A name change later, she was mine
With a “yip” she squiggled into my heart
Until the horrific day she rent it in two
My brain won
I closed the computer
Pulled out my phone to see her picture
Piper Rose
Beautiful girl
Never abandoned again!
Prayers to my spirit dog
She will lead me to the one in need.
A Small
Soft
Black
Pup that will fill a Piper Rose size hole in my heart.
If you are hungry for more poetry, please check out the following.
Sue Cook lives in Freeport, Illinois with her husband Randy and two dogs. Her passions include assistance dogs, rescue dogs, music, acting, theater, poetry, and Doctor Who. She’s been in both film and theater and is a regular cast member of the podcast Doctor Who’s Line is it….Anyway? Sue is an advocate for the use of Service Dogs to assist their disabled handlers to maintain their independence. Quigley’s Quest, her first children’s book, addresses how a dog becomes a Service Dog.