Wisdom

Father passing on his learned wisdom,
by the time honored family ritual
of laying on the paw from "Paw."
Growls of advice, tips for junior
to grow into the glory of canine maturity.

Never bite the postman
when he's hauling box of mail order dog biscuits,
don't hang around fire hydrants
if fireman is turning them on,
trees can be such temptations,
but make sure you don't get lured
into lifting your hind leg if anyone is watching,
especially if it is the dog catcher.

Bushes are a better toilet
than neighbor's lawn,
even more important should you be the only mutt
who can get blamed for the evidence.

Most important is never believe any female's claim
she's been neutered,
without knowing how many other rovers
that she's snuck off to play with in the alley.

Otherwise, you end up being the father,
just as this dad had been,
left to take care of the pup
while she's out frolicking the block
and leaving too many others
with some special reason to grin.