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After Annie's death, the first line of Herrick's "On His Mistresses" kept running through my mind. "I have lost , and lately, these many dainty mistresses". (I don't know if he lost them to death or if he lost them because they left him or he left them and then regretted doing so.) Over the years I have loved and lost to death so many much loved dogs.

But it's impossible to sum up a dog's personality and history in just one rhymed couplet or quatrian. I've put links to the pages that give more extensive stories.

On Her Lost Dogs

(Dogs loved and lost to death)

by Pam Green, © 2020

(after "On His Mistresses" by Herrick)

I have lost , through life's long days,
Many well loved Bouviers.

Puppy Keya, first of all,
Eternal and invisible.
My Goddess , Chelsea , half my soul,
Bones, the other half , makes whole.
Partners ev'ry night and day,
Now Trinity to whom I pray.

Some hundred fosters came and went
To their adopters heaven scent.
Some dozen fosters stole my heart
Thus from my home did not depart.

Simone D Bouvie, Sweetie-pie,
Helped the Sugen trial to fly.
Gave me her trust and laughter too,
Danced and sang "grr-roo, grr-roo".

Duke, his owner claimed did bite ;
Bouv e-list saved from Endless Night.
Our "global village" set him free
To share a home and love with me.

Pixel, her seductive guiles
Gained belly rubs and human smiles.
Darling Chris, for social wit
And ever clever use of it.

Shady, fiercely guarded food
All otherwise in friendly mood.
His owner's death had him betrayed;
I fostered him and here he stayed.

Hazel , slave of puppy mill,
Paragon, I miss her still.
Her owner would have had her killed
"Otherwise" the Goddess willed.

Golden Grover, stray on street.
Temperment both strong and sweet.
But golden dogs and bitches must,
As homeless mongrels, come to dust.

Little Walter, sweet old man,
Said "I'll do the best I can."

Moma proved that "orange is black",
A blanket for her naked back.

Old Paddy padded home at last,
St Patricks's Day was when he passed.

Murphey and Annie, old and wise,
Orphaned by owner's lonely demise.
No adopter wanted two
So they said "we'll stay with you"

      Still Three remain to cheer my age
      Inspire verses on my page.
      Three remain to comfort me :
      Velvet, Fox, and Lady B.
      Too soon, too soon may all be gone
      And I , like Herrick, left alone,
      For to know my sorrow by
      Their departures, then to die.

WHAT'S NEW ?

SITE INDEX	BOUVIER	RESCUE	DOG CARE
PUPPY REARING	TRAINING	PROBLEMS	WORKING DOGS
BOOKS	VERSE	IMAGES	MISCELLANEOUS

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Related topics :

I Have For Company, my dogs as of March 2019, updated Sept 2019 after Murphy's death and after Annie's death. These are the Three who remain : Velvet, Fox, and Lady Bug.
Velvet, updated. I had written her early history in 2009, but now it is a decade later. (Update : Velvet passed away in the early morning hours of Memorial Day, 5/25/2020.) I've added some photos of her life with me.
Just two are left, my heart to tug :
The Wicked Fox and Lady Bug.
Lady Bug's page , my darling Kelpie who came to me by accident.
Fox the Wicked Queensland

Obituary for Murphy and Leo, deceased Sept 2, 2019, Annie deceased 6 weeks later
Paddy's story, a senior rescue, lived out his life with me.
Moma's story, a senior rescue who lived out her life with me
Walter, a sweet old man, lived out his life with me.
Shady's story, which includes a discussion of food-guarding .
Grover's story.
Grover's Elegy , written a year after his death
Hazel's page It was a priviledge to give this discarded puppy mill bitch a year and a half of the life she always deserved, and I will miss her greatly.
Duke's story and photo. , a rescue that "took a village" to accomplish

Chris and Pixel, partners in crime, a photo at home. See also their photos herding in the WORKING DOGS section. Pixel was probably a Bouv or Bouv cross, Chris was a "Yurgess" (= your guess = your guess is as good as mine")

Sweetie's story (Simone D Bouvier)

photos of Chelsea and Bones at various forms of work are in the WORKING DOGS section
me with Chelsea and Bones, on the occasion of Chelsea's TDX, photo and victory song.
A Prayer for My Dog , written during Bones' last months.
Bones' Epitaph, a Cyranoesque epitaph in French and English
My Life Was My Bitch, the story of the final mortal days of Chelsea Queen of Creation.
Chelsea's Epitaph
My First Bouvie, verse about Keya (Chiaroscuro), my first Bouvier.
Portrait of Keya , side view, colorized in Photoshop.
Portrait of Keya (Chiaroscuro) in front view.
photo of myself and my precious puppy Keya in a rocking chair. Keya was my first Bouvier.
photo and Photoshop Impressionist art of Keya and me in Sunny's horse cart.

My Obituary , a response to a term paper assignment to write one's own obit and funeral. Rough drafted some months before my 73rd birthday. (this is not morbid, really, it's logical and humorous.)

site author Pam Green	copyright 2003
created 12/28/19	revised 3/15/2020, 7/14/2020
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