Treat me kindly, my beloved
friend, for no heart in
all the world
is more grateful for kindness
than
the loving heart of me.
Do not break my spirit with a
stick, for though I should
lick your
hand between blows, your
patience,
and understanding will more
quickly teach me the things
you
would have me learn.
Speak to me often, for your voice
is the world's sweetest
music, as
you must know by the fierce
wagging of my tail when
your
footstep falls upon my waiting
ear.
Please
take me inside when it is
cold and wet, for I am a
domesticated animal, no
longer
accustomed to bitter elements.
I ask no greater glory than
the
privilege of sitting at
your feet
beside the hearth.
Keep my pan filled with fresh
water, for I can not tell
you when
I suffer thirst.
Feed me
clean food that I may
stay well, to romp and play
and do
your bidding. to walk by
your side,
and stand ready. willing
and able to
protect you.
And, my
friend, when I am very
old, and I no longer enjoy
good
health, hearing and sight,
do not
make heroic efforts to keep
me
going. I am not having
any fun.
Please
see that my trusting life is
taken gently. I shall leave
this earth
knowing with the last breath
I draw
that my fate was always
safest in
your hands.
-Anon