Today we buried ol' Travis,
a better dog you never seen,
intelligent, strong, an' good-natured
with eyes that were wary an' keen
It hurt me to lay him to rest now,
an' I know I'm gonna shed tears,
but I can't fault God for the takin'
I shared with that dog sixteen years
***
I remember when I first saw Travis,
just a little fur-ball at the time,
we both felt an instant connection,
I knew that cow-dog would be mine
I couldn't resist his free spirit,
golden eyes that were so fulla care,
nor could I foresee his devotion,
or all the good times we would share
From that very first trip to our homestead,
my pickup he claimed as his own,
whenever the truck left these acres,
he was goin' wherever it roamed
As a watch dog, there never was better,
no coyote would dare cross this land,
he'd be out there barkin' an' chasin',
an' run off the whole yippin' band
An' when Mr. Cougar come prowlin',
ol' Travis would raise such a fuss,
he knew not to nab the mean bugger
but would bark till it woke both of us
Now, Ranch hands have got an' old sayin'
'bout workin' as hard as a dog,
an' I can sure vouch for ol' Travis,
he could even herd cattle in fog
His muzzle was startin' to gray
an' he had quite a limp t'ward the end,
but whenever I'd head out to do chores,
I could count on some help from my friend
***
I sure ain't alone in my grievin',
the wife took Trav's death pretty hard,
he was also her lifelong companion,
an' would follow her out in the yard
I know that we're both gonna miss him,
this place'll seem empty an' bare,
I'll miss fillin' his bowl in the kitchen,
an' him sleepin' right next to my chair
My throat's just plum' fulla the achin',
an' I'll bust out in tears any time,
but I ain't ashamed a my feelin's,
'cause most dogs, well, they ain't worth a dime
But Travis was just somethin' special,
best cow-dog I ever did see,
an' wherever God sends dogs when passin',
that's the place where I wanna be.
© 2006, Tamara Hillman
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Dedicated to Jack Barnes, Denver Colorado
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