'Twas the night before Christmas and chained in the yard

[TribalRats]

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
With no thought of the dog filling their head.
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus - his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last years Christmas present, now thin and sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name.
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain;
"Now, DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! On CUPID! On, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by
all"
I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this
year,
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,
The gift of a dog is not just for the season,
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.
In our haste to think of giving the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed.
A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"
---Author Unknown---

[Carrie]

That's so sad but has a happy ending. I wish all the poor dogs out there would have happy endings.

[Gerald]

http://www.raaacartoons.com/christmas1.html

[bigdoglover]

I read that out loud to my hubby and was choking back tears.

[PawNclaws]

Oh what a poem *wipes tear*. I'm going to have to send that to my aunt and a friend of mine. Me too, that would be a real christmas gift- that all the animals suffering ends and they find loving, caring, happy homes to live the rest of their lives and actually feel what happiness and love feels like *praying*...... What a gift that would be.....

[Cassiepeia]

Wonderful poem! So sad though and so true.

Cass.

[annie_so_pink]

Wow! Thank You for sharing that! It is really sad but I really like the ending! I only wish that all the homeless, abused, and neglected dogs out there would find loving and caring homes!!!!!

[Barrett]

These things always send shivers up and down my back when I read them! What a sad and happy poem. If I was Santa I would have left a steamy pile of poo in their stockings!

[crazy_puppy]

I dont know what to say....this poem is way too much of a reality especially in my area(only without the happy ending)
I want to cry as it saddens me so much,but I fear I'm de-sensitized to the whole "christmas puppy" thing.

[marley05]

A Rescue Dog's Christmas Poem

'Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full - we are lost but not found,
Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care,
They'll come to adopt us and give us the call,
"Come here, Max and Sparkie - come fetch your new ball!!
But now we sit here and think of the days..
we were treated so fondly - we had cute, baby ways,
Once we were little, then we grew and we grew -
now we're no longer young and we're no longer new.
So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,
they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?
We "jump on the children:, "don't come when they call",
we "bark when they leave us", climb over the wall.
We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.
If only they'd trained us, if only we knew...
we'd have done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.
We were left in the backyard, or worse -let to roam-
now we're tired and lonely and out of a home.
They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye...
"Maybe someone else will give you a try."
So now here we are, all confused and alone...
in a shelter with others who long for a home.
The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can't stay to chat,
They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer...
we know that they wonder how long we'll be here.
We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads..
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.
Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears --
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.
If you can't adopt us and there's no room at the Inn --
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?
We count on your kindness each day of the year --
can you give more than hope to everyone here?
Please make a donation to pay for the heat...
and help get us something special to eat.
The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.

Copyright © 1994-2003 Golden Retrievers in Cyberspace / Goldentown™

[shandoggy1]

AWESOME poem! So sad and true!

[Shadowkins]

Originally Posted by Barrett

These things always send shivers up and down my back when I read them! What a sad and happy poem. If I was Santa I would have left a steamy pile of poo in their stockings!

I second that!

[Jamila]

"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"


I love this line!

[dollface]

I liked them, I even e-mailed them

[FarCritter10]

Where do you buy those keyboard covers? Such bitter-sweet poems. Thank you for sharing them.