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The Seein’ Eye Dawg
Copyrightã2002,
Michael S. Robinson
Old
Al Bateman was a cowboy, who had carved a hefty slice
From
the range, just south of Dillon, for a homestead mighty nice.
Startin’
out with twelve good heifers and a rangy, agin’ bull,
He'd
weathered-out the worst, and, now, his bank account was full.
But
ol’ Father Time ain’t got respect for anyone’s success,
And Al began to notice: He was seein’ less and less.
Those
scenes of grand enchantment, he had loved throughout his days,
were,
now, a blur of colored fuzz, through never-endin’ haze.
He'd
seen a local doctor, who'd prescribed high-powered specs,
But
Al still couldn’t see the sunsets, and he couldn’t sign his checks.
The things Al loved to see and do were mem’ries of the past,
And
he prayed to God, “Oh, Lord, please take me back…an’ do it fast.!”
But
God, he di’n’t cooperate, and sent Bill Clancey by—
Just
an empathetic neighbor, with his wife’s fresh apple pie.
In
response to Al’s lamenting o’er his ever-thickenin’ fog,
Bill
Clancey said, “It’s time you got a seein’-eye-type dawg.”
Well
that was sure a brainstorm, that was timed exactly right:
And
despite Al’s failin’ vision, he had promptly seen the light.
He
decided Duke, his cow dawg, could be trained for somethin’ new.
An’
Duke learned the things a guide dawg should, but, sadly, missed a few.
Duke
had always seen the sunsets in an awe-inspiring green,
And
those fields of fresh alfalfa, like a steak, all rare an’ lean.
Well,
that caused a great big problem, ‘cause no matter what Al said,
That
ol’ mixed up dawg thought red was green, an’ melon rind was red.
Now,
that ain’t no serious problem for
a cow dawg on the range,
But
it’s pretty downright scary, with an occupation change.
Sure,
a cowboy never frets about his cow
dawg’s color sight.
Whether
red or green--don’t matter if he heels them Herefords right.
But,
that first trip to the city, with his seein’ eye dawg friend,
Nearly
answered Al’s sad prayer, when he’d asked his life to end.
At
a busy intersection, when the traffic light turned red:
That
ol’ dawg jerked Al right off the curb, and yanked him straight ahead.
Well,
a Greyhound bus swerved sharply and a pickup somehow missed,
As
Duke led his master onward, by the leash around Al’s wrist.
But
a kindly stranger risked his life to pull them from harm’s way,
And
Al breathed a sigh of thanks that he could live another day.
At
the curbside, Al reached in his vest and found a doggy treat—
Somethin’
Duke preferred to anything but thick, green, juicy meat!.
Then
he held it out to Duke, and that nice stranger came unglued:
Said,
“Your dawg prett’ nearly killed you. Don’t
reward him with that food!”
But,
as Al held out that doggy treat, he set the stranger straight,
Said
“A fast reward’s good trainin’, an’ I hope I’m not too late.
Bein’
blind’s a real hind’rance, when you’re trying to train a mutt,
‘cause
I’ve gotta find that doggy’s head, so I can kick his butt!”
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