“There is no faith which has never yet been broken,

                     Except that of a truly faithful dog.”

                                        Konrad Lorenz

I first learned about this poor street orphan

From a police officer, more than a year ago

She lived in a clump of bushes along the tracks

And every night, back to this place, she would go

I eventually crawled into her nest along these tracks

And I soon discovered that her little lair, was man-made

Area residents told us she had lived there, with a homeless man

Who more than two years ago, for some reason, had vanished one day

She was often spotted late at night, faithfully waiting for her friend’s return

She appreciated our daily food offerings, but she would never come near us

She would also never walk into any of my dog traps, no matter the enticing bait

Her canine heart belonged to only one person, everyone else, she refused to trust

And with winter now fast approaching once more, we wanted to end her diligent vigil

We borrowed a huge man-made trap from someone who used it for a dog in the wood

This very faithful dog on the tracks finally decided to trust her fate to us, just the other day

And now finally caught, she soon decided that the back seat of my truck felt extremely good

She also quickly began to relish the gentle touch of a caring human’s hand, once more

She has also now begun to love all the attention that she’s getting at the veterinary clinic

One of my fellow pet rescuers has convinced one of her relatives to adopt this very loyal dog

She has named her ‘Etta,’ and we are all overjoyed that her lonely vigil on the tracks is now finished

                                ©September 2013, A Joyous Mr. Ed