“Dogs are better than human beings
because they know, but do not tell.” Emily Dickinson

Yes the misery of keeping a dog
is his dying so soon.
To be a friend of a dog offers profound joy
To be with a dog when he dies
Offers profound sadness.
We learn so much from our dogs.
The coward man dies many times
The brave, true dog dies only the once.
But, to be sure,
if my friend had  lived for fifty years
and then died,
what would have become of me?