by June Cotner
Also by June Cotner
Amazing Graces
Animal Blessings
Baby Blessings
Back to Joy
Bedside Prayers
Bless the Beasts
Bless the Day
Christmas Blessings
Comfort Prayers
Earth Blessings
Family Celebrations
Forever in Love
Garden Blessings
Get Well Wishes
Graces
Gratitude Prayers
Heal Your Soul, Heal the World
The Home Design Handbook
House Blessings
Looking for God in All the Right Places
Miracles of Motherhood
Mothers and Daughters
Pocket Prayers
Say a Little Prayer: A Journal
Serenity Prayers
Soar! Follow Your Dreams
Teen Sunshine Reflections
To Have and To Hold
Toasts
We Are Women
Wedding Blessings
Wishing You Well
Dog Blessings
copyright © 2017 by June Cotner. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.
Andrews McMeel Publishing
a division of Andrews McMeel Universal
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106
www.andrewsmcmeel.com
ISBN: 978-1-4494-8839-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017932231
Editor: Patty Rice
Designer, Art Director: Diane Marsh
Production Editor: Erika Kuster
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Andrews McMeel books are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchase for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail the Andrews McMeel Publishing Special Sales Department: [email protected].
CONTENTS
A Letter to Readers
Thanks
one
A Dog’s World
Skijoring with Kane
Good Dog
Queen of Canine Capers
Off the Trail
Mother of Dog
At Limantour Beach
When Dogs Go Astray
Dog Running with His Man
Daisy
Outside, Wanting In
When Opportunity Knocks
Sweeter Than Honey
The Science of Faith
Lost Dog
Unleashed
Dog Outside a Grocery on Broadway
Reflections on a Dog’s World
two
Puppies
Puppy Love
Puppy Dog Welcome
Puppy Days
Higher Learning
His
three
Our Bond
Homecoming
Rescue Dog
Love at First Sight
Comfort Zone
Living with Animals
Dog Days
The Greeting
Our Dog
A Dog
Perspective
Ever Faithful, Ever Friends
Reflections on Our Bond with Dogs
four
Devotion
Furry Shrink
Dog Training
A Note for My First
Rescue
He Knew
A Dog’s Life
The Guardian
Guide Dog
The Cats and My Dog
A Prayer for Dogs Who Serve
Dear Companion
Reflections on a Dog’s Devotion
five
Aging Gracefully
Old Friends
Dog Walk
My Elderly Dog
Restricted Travel
Besty
Hiking Old Dog to the Alpine Lake
Our Old Dog
New Tricks
To Let You Go Gently
Old Dog
His Final Season
six
Partings
If It Should Be
A Goodbye Prayer
Rainbow Bridge
Pet Heaven
Summerhill, August 1, 2003
Ceremony at Dawn
Best Friends
Elliott and Amelia
A Dog’s Parting Prayer
If This Were Egypt
The Last Time
Retriever
Dog Memorial
Dogs in Heaven
seven
Reflections
Poem for a Lost Dog
Higher Power
My Daughter’s First Word
The Nature of His Knowing
Blizzard
Lessons from Dogs
Caring for a Sick Dog
Lessons Learned Post 9/11
Reflections About Dogs
eight
Prayers, Blessings,
and Inspiration
The Blessing
Doggy Prayer
Dog Owner’s Prayer
A Blessing
Prayer for My Best Friend
Dog Blessing
Voices from the Shelter
3 A.M. Feeding
I Depend on You
I Have Brought My Dogs to the Woods
Lessons
Dogs as Spiritual Messengers
Author Index
Permissions and Acknowledgments
About the Author
A Letter to Readers
What would the world be like without dogs? Who would be there to walk with us at night, protect us, play with our kids, share our joy in life, and teach us how important it is to smell everything before engaging with it?
My life has been measured and defined by my dog companions. When I was a child, my black cockapoo, Pixie, was always by my side. My mom died when I was eleven, and I remember many nights crying into Pixie’s soft fur. Pixie would look at me with the most compassionate expression—as if she understood I was devastated.
Two golden retrievers, Sundance and Shalimar, came into my life as a young adult. Sundance, the male, was reserved, noble, and dignified. Shalimar, the female, boiled over with enthusiasm. She died suddenly of unknown causes at age eight. My heart broke as I watched my four-year-old son place a Band-Aid on one of her eyes to “make her better.” When we buried Shalimar in the backyard, Sundance curled up on her grave and let out a mournful howl. After Shalimar’s death, I wrote a poem, “Shalimar’s Golden Rules,” which is framed in my office and includes the line, “Never turn down a tummy rub!”
A little golden fur ball named Peaches soon joined our family. And a year later came Thunder, a German shepherd. He had an extremely loyal, “at your service” demeanor and followed me wherever I went. In contrast to Shalimar’s gusto and enthusiasm, Peaches was incredibly calm and frequently curled up with our white cat, Cali.
The next generation was Mary, my golden retriever, and Allante, my black lab mix. I still treasure the “senior dog” years with both dogs by my feet as I worked. Given their sleepy-time days, it
’s amazing to reflect back on their very destructive phase as rambunctious youngsters. My friend Roger once took a look at all the holes in our backyard and said, “These aren’t dogs. They’re gophers in dog suits!”
Now the “next generation” dog is dear Indy, a chocolate Lab/Doberman mix. It’s my first time owning only one dog. I’m getting up in my senior years, too, but I love to hike and take long walks. I decided I couldn’t take the chance of having two strong dogs, each on a leash that could potentially wrap around my legs and cause me to fall. I adopted Indy from a prisoner-trained shelter dogs program. He came with great skills and it’s been easy to give him new commands, such as “Say Grace” (he bows his head in prayer) and “Find Me” (a hide-and-seek game).
In Dog Blessings, you will find poems and prose that reflect every phase of a dog’s life, from the fun of watching a zesty young puppy at play to our utmost compassion in caring for an elderly dog. I’ve selected eloquent poems that illustrate how dogs bring blessings to our lives in countless ways: from their loyalty and faithfulness to their help in raising kids, from watching them feel everything full blast to laughing over their many quirks, from their unconditional love to their steadfast devotion.
Dogs invite us into their world, and through that our lives are deeply enriched. The poems and prayers in Dog Blessings celebrate our love and devotion for dogs, which in turn is reciprocated many times over by their love and devotion for us. As one of the early readers of my book said, “If you don’t own a dog now, after reading Dog Blessings you will want to adopt a dog right away.”
One of the most painful realities of being a dog owner is that we will most likely outlive our canine companions. The pieces in the “Partings” chapter brought great comfort to me for the dogs I have lost, and I hope they will for you as well. Other chapters in Dog Blessings (such as “A Dog’s World,” “Our Bond,” and “Prayers, Blessings, and Inspiration”) celebrate the exuberance of loving a dog.
There is much to be learned from dogs. Dogs go with the flow of life. If they have to go live in a new home or with new people, they accept it, adapt easily, and become happy in their new environment. If they lose a leg in an accident, they learn to run with three legs. When they become old they take it easy and don’t feel sorry for themselves. Many people wish they could be as good as their dogs. I know I do.
You have likely picked up this book because you are a dog lover. I have endeavored to make Dog Blessings a loving tribute to the kindest, most caring, and devoted animals known to humankind. I hope I have succeeded.
June Cotner
P.O. Box 2765
Poulsbo, WA 98370
[email protected]
www.junecotner.com
Thanks
Dog Blessings would not have become a reality without the love my dogs have given me throughout my life. My agents, Denise Marcil and Anne Marie O’Farrell at Marcil-O’Farrell Literary, know how important dogs are to me and encouraged me to create a collection that would celebrate, honor, and dignify the blessings that dogs bring to all of our lives.
But it takes a lot more than love and passion to bring a book to fruition. I’m deeply grateful for my longtime editor, Patty Rice, at Andrews McMeel Publishing, for her professionalism, creativity, and wonderful support. It’s delightful to have worked with Patty on a total of twelve books now!
Many thanks go to my husband, Jim Graves, and my daughter, Kirsten Casey, for being the first eyes and ears for the hundreds of submissions that were considered for the book. Deep appreciation goes to Laura Judson for typing the comprehensive test-market manuscript.
After I selected my favorite pieces for the test-market manuscript, a panel consisting of dog lovers and poets gave me their specific feedback regarding the final selections that appear in the book. Specifically, I’d like to thank my husband, Jim Graves; my sister, Susan Cotner; and my friends Lynn Eathorne, Patricia Huckell, and Dale and Sue Peterson; all of them provided excellent input.
To ensure that my selections were of the highest literary quality, the following poets, whose work has appeared in a number of my anthologies, lent their expertise and gave me a careful critique regarding the possible selections for the book: Barbara Crooker (author of Barbara Crooker: Selected Poems, Gold, Les Fauves, Line Dance, More, Radiance, and Small Rain), Arlene Gay Levine (author of 39 Ways to Open Your Heart and Movie Life), Donna Wahlert (author of The First Pressing and Well into the Third Act), and Mary Lenore Quigley (author of Indelible Ink).
Dog Blessings would not have become the book it has without the inclusion of outstanding, heartfelt work from poets who have contributed to my anthologies for many years. In creating this book, I was also pleased to consider work from hundreds of newer poets who responded to my call for submissions in Poets and Writers. Thank you so much for your treasured words! And last, I’m grateful to God for bringing the myriad blessings of dogs to our world.
Skijoring with Kane
The world is a large bay of wonder
and here we are, circling the snow-covered golf course under
the ribbon wisps of moonlight—you, mutt with glacial
blue eyes and oil black fur, and me, a girl on skis
skating behind you, seeing your feet kick
through shadows of spruce
and elm. I let go
so that fear waddles on the outskirts
of the golf course parking lot. I let go
because the harnesses connecting our bodies
are taut and stretched and we race
the night, we speed faster than the lone car
passing the adjacent boulevard. Kane, dog of my heart,
if you reach heaven before I do
don’t wait for me—run to the distant cloud edges,
let your feet rumble and shake free
a snowstorm spiraling toward earth, toward
the winter girl watching from her window, remembering
ice, remembering the soft swift pads
of one dog’s feet.
Meridian Johnson
Good Dog
When I walk the dog I let the dog
decide where we go. I keep the leash loose
and follow in her footsteps to the busy street
that scares us both, but it’s the only way
to the grand tree at the corner where she stands
in a trance, her nose vacuuming the bulging roots
for a snoot-full of who-knows-what.
Sometimes she heads the other way, to the empty lot,
a minefield of turds I step through gingerly
while she throws herself on the foulest ones
and spins like a washing machine agitator,
then trots to the puddle by the curb and takes
a long drink, lapping it up like champagne,
splashing as if it were the fountain of puppyhood.
Her shanks and feathers drenched and dripping,
she looks at me as if I envy her
and seems to say okay, I’m good and wet
and camouflaged in the scent of excrement,
let’s go home now and I’ll slip beneath your desk
into a dream of running squirrels into trees
and you take the heat for letting me get into everything.
Eric Nelson
Queen of Canine Capers
Of mischief-making she’s accused,
Our queen of canine capers.
She’s masterful at chewing shoes
And shredding Sunday papers.
Destructor of our flower beds,
Disturber of our sleep,
In spite of all her troubling ways,
Her company we keep.
She often begs to be let out
To take her doggy walks;
Yet
once her leash is snapped in place,
She disobeys, and balks.
Our midnight piddler of puddles,
A pooper of the piles,
Creator of huge messes, but
Her antics bring such smiles.
Her face appears quite innocent
Each time that she’s chastised;
But careful observation shows
Rebellion in her eyes.
She has a sort of impish grin,
If you can call it that,
Appearing on that face of hers
Each time she steals my hat.
Though loving and affectionate,
Her playful puppy ways
Can wreak such household havoc as
To make one feel quite crazed.
Of course we love her anyway;
There’s no way one could not.
So please, dear Lord, our patience grow,
A little, no, a lot!
Susanne Wiggins Bunch
Off the Trail
The dogs are going crazy, running
in eddies around and around
circles getting wider
their heads and tails bobbing
against the sky—out of sight
back again.
The smaller dog’s tail
long and tipped white
serves as a fish bobber
to show where the line of dogs
pays out against the currents of wheat.
They bark and yap
in huge bursts of sunlight,
ground soft and green
under their pads.
There is something about dogs
loose as wind that lifts the heart
as they run, fling themselves
over hills and hummocks,
you forget about paths and long to follow
off the well-trod and into the whisper
of grasses practicing free verse.
The dogs are frenzied with all they must fit
into their moments, their necks free
of leashes, their legs given to whatever strides
they choose. They race so fast, with such
buck and canter, that a new smell
jerks them almost off their feet.
They poke their noses without caution,
drink it in as if it were brandy.
When have we last given way to smell,
lingered to draw it into the nose, let it run
warm as liqueur down all the senses of the body?
When has a smell been so grand
