We were so happy, my daughter and I
The thought of picking out a puppy was so exciting.
In the pound, at least a hundred beautiful dogs were barking
We peered into all the cages, it was heartbreaking, but we could only choose one
We started down the last aisle and both stared and grimaced at the one in the cage
He was a little chubby, and all of his bottom teeth protruded. Especially one!
still we didn't speak. Our minds full of so many dogs who needed homes.
I thought to myself, this poor ugly guy will never get a place of his own
Staring at the dog, he seemed to know we would pass him by
My daughter, with much hesitation said "I think, I want him!"
Oh my God, what are we thinking! People will laugh, our family would wonder why?
So we called over the woman to open the cage.
With a slightly wagging tail, and teeth protruding he ambled over to us.
Friendly little guy, but so ugly he was cute.
We knew no one else would take him, so we did.
He is a strange little dog, with a face a mother could hardly love
But, he brings us so much love and joy.
Well, the teeth? We tried to get it pulled or some kind of brace
The vet just said, "You will have to live with that face"
Wysteria
Please visit : http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/thursday-poets-rally-week-31-october-21-27/#comment-19612
Please visit : http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2010/10/thursday-think-tank-20-ugly-that-is.html#more
Please visit : http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/thursday-poets-rally-week-31-october-21-27/#comment-19612
Please visit : http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2010/10/thursday-think-tank-20-ugly-that-is.html#more
I LOVE "you will have to live with that face".......adorable little fellow, and bless your hearts for loving the one no one else would take. I adore this poem, I am a huge dog-lover and this touched my heart with a smile, given the many sad stories I have been hearing about animals lately.
ReplyDeleteThis is great, Wysteria. What a clever and heart rendering response to the prompt.
ReplyDeleteHE IS ADORABLE
ReplyDeleteWysteria,
ReplyDeleteI am a huge dog-lover, well, animal lover and this made my day. He is a cute guy.
Pamela
I love it - really, if I could I would erase 'ugly' and 'beautiful' from the dictionaries people carry around in their minds...
ReplyDeleteWysteria,
ReplyDeleteI just loved reading your poem. It was real, full of life, funny, but most of all it oozed kindness.
I love the doggy picture!
Thank you for sharing this lovely story.
Best wishes, Eileen
Awww, Wysteria. I know exactly how you felt. And it is neat that both you and your daughter felt the same way. I still also feel that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' What did you name him? I will come back later and see if I find an answer!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone... He has a real Mexican name.. Carlos Calliente.. We also call him all kinds of sweet names. Spoiled to the max. Actually I have four dogs. Had five but had to put one down last Nov. Most are rescue dogs and we love them very much!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of you leaving such kind notes.
Wysteria
he is cute, Glad for what you did.
ReplyDeleteBlessings.
lovely poem.
Happy Rally...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support and attention.
have fun!
Thank you too! Your web site and poets are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteWysteria
Ah, Carlos Calliente! What a wonderful name!
ReplyDeleteSlick! Thanks for the smile and gotta say that look reminds me of what I see in the morning before my first coffee!
ReplyDeleteI love this and love your pick~! He is cute in his own way! Nice to pick the one you knew no one else would~ Sweet sentiment~
ReplyDeleteWysteria i just love this whole post! And like babies can be fat and it is wonderfully cute...dogs can be ugly and cute at the same time...he is a cutie! Glad he has you to love him!
ReplyDeleteThat is the sweetest thing. Every pet needs people like you and your daughter.
ReplyDelete"with a face a mother could hardly love" is a fun twist! When introduced to extremely ugly babies, I once heard a pastor's stock response was, "Wow! THAT's a baby!" and the mother would beam in joy as she carried on... My parents had a toy poodle with a snaggle tooth. It was removed with most of his other teeth when he was 10 and it improved his looks considerably.
ReplyDeleteShawn of the Poet's Rally
www.shawnbird.com/poetry
You're my kind of person! We've rescued 4 dogs so far. That pup's beautiful and he will know you gave him a chance at life and will aptly reward you with his love. Enjoy every minute. And you know, we all have a snaggle tooth of some sort, don't we!
ReplyDeleteVictoria
You will have to live with that face! - love it!
ReplyDeletehttp://suzicatepoetry.wordpress.com/
awwww what a beautiful story! I love it! I love his face and his smile and your warm open hearts! (Good depth too in mentioning his poor little self esteem as he assumed you would walk by him... poor lil guy)
ReplyDeletei think i would have made the same choice :). i love dogs, and my husband was happy in our early years that we didn't live in a house with a yard - i would have probably gathered at least a dozen...
ReplyDeletei also like your way of describing the entire moment of choice, and that final line, of "you will just have to live with that face" is great :)
Very sweet piece. I could feel the connection
ReplyDeletehttp://mysticmarleei.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/sexy/
whoa! beautiful :) I don't think the pup is ugly though.. gives him a one-of-a-kind look :D very friendly face, even with the teeth..!
ReplyDeleteMy Rally Entry is Here: http://leonnyes.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/nine-hundred/
We have adopted many because we knew "no one else could." We've never regretted doing that.
ReplyDeleteHe's a fine dog. Congratulations to you and your daughter. I'm sure you will all have fun together and share lots of love. Thanks for posting and putting up a photo too.
I was taken with happiness in this piece.
ReplyDeleteJP
this is very sweet! thanks for sharing! here from Jingle's poetry rally
ReplyDeleteAdorable little guy--such a sweet piece!
ReplyDeleteI'm a cat person, but I still think dogs are adorable! It's cool that you chose him even though he was "so ugly he was cute." I laughed out loud at that one!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new pet! :)
Like it....now who could pass up a face like that shows character.
ReplyDeleteHe looks like a real character and what a lovely piece of writing about how you discovered each other...
ReplyDeletePoets Rally Reminder:
ReplyDelete#1; return favors to those who are here yet you did not visit them yet, we try not to discourage poets who give comments.
#2: there are so many poets, I lost count, if you have done your job already, please let me know so that I mark you down as done.
Happy Tuesday!
u rock.
cheers.