Your dog is not a dog of grace; <br /> He does not wag the tail or beg; <br /> He bit Miss Dickson in the face; <br /> He bit a Bailie in the leg. <br /> <br /> What tragic choices such a dog <br /> Presents to visitor or friend! <br /> Outside there is the Glasgow fog; <br /> Within, a hydrophobic end. <br /> <br /> Yet some relief even terror brings, <br /> For when our life is cold and gray <br /> We waste our strength on little things, <br /> And fret our puny souls away. <br /> <br /> A snarl! A scruffle round the room! <br /> A sense that Death is drawing near! <br /> And human creatures reassume <br /> The elemental robe of fear. <br /> <br /> So when my colleague makes his moan <br /> Of careless cooks, and warts, and debt, <br /> -- Enlarge his views, restore his tone, <br /> And introduce him to your Pet! <br /> <br />Quod Raleigh.<br /><br />Sir Walter Raleigh<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/to-a-lady-with-an-unruly-and-ill-mannered-dog-wh/
