She's not going back!

One day she wandered

Into my wife's place of work,

A little brown dog,

Abandoned by some jerk.

 

She was mostly beagle,

Best we could tell by sight,

Happy, friendly, and cheerful,

If not all that bright.

 

My wife has a soft spot

For needy canine strays,

So she came to live with us

For "a couple of days".

 

Of course we knew better,

We already had four,

Who came for a couple of days,

But stayed many more.

 

So we added another dog

To our growing household pack,

We tried to find her owner,

But would probably not give her back.

 

You see it was clear

That this dog had been abused,

She was timid, afraid,

Lost, and confused.

 

If you reached down to give her

A pat on the head,

She would duck to the floor,

Crouching with dread.

 

An innocent move

To give her a scratch on the ear,

Would cause the poor thing

To recoil in fear!

 

What kind of monster

Would treat a dog this way?

I'm sure he'll have to answer

For his actions some day.

 

Despite her trials she was

Gentle, loving, and sweet,

Baying with pleasure,

At the prospect of a treat.

 

The little dog's spirit

Was never really broken,

She wiggled in pleasure

If she thought her name was spoken.

 

But that was a problem -

We didn't know this dog's name,

We put together a list of ideas,

But most were pretty lame.

 

She reminded us of something

We couldn't quite remember,

Perhaps it was something to do

With the month of December?

 

Of course - that's the answer,

It was really a cinch,

She was just like that dog Max

Who lived with the Grinch!

 

Same great demeanor,

Always eager to please,

And a similar first owner

Who was a bit of a sleaze.

 

So it was settled,

She'll now be called Max,

The decision was easy

Once we'd considered the facts.

 

She's been with us six years,

And she's starting to get older,

But still happy, active, playful,

And even a bit bolder.

 

But sad news followed

A recent trip to the vet,

Max has a health problem,

Although it's no big deal yet.

 

If you know the Grinch tale,

Here's the ironic part:

Max's medical affliction,

Is a slightly enlarged heart!

 

It won't slow her down,

At least not for a while,

She's still little Max,

She still makes us smile.

 

She's not living in Whoville,

She's just part of our pack

She's away from the Grinch,

And she's not going back!

 

(Jonathan Hall)