In the wood
My dog chased
A squirrel.
No thought of good
Or bad
Had he,
For he was free
Of morality.
In my mind
I often find,
Squirreled away
A thought
I ought
Not to think
Of play
With prey.
Chasing Squirrels
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Tag Archives: animals
Training with My New Guide Dog Apollo
On 4 November, I wrote about the impending arrival of my new guide dog Apollo, https://kmorrispoet.com/2021/11/04/my-new-guide-dog/.
Apollo and me posing for a family photo
Apollo arrived on Monday 8 November, and I have been bonding and training with him since then. Thus far we have walked to my local Sainsburys supermarket, which is located some 10-15 minutes from my home. Initially the walk took place with Apollo on the lead with me using a white cane whilst accompanied by the trainer from the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Later walks occurred with Apollo in his distinctive guide dog harness with me accompanied by the trainer. Under UK law (the Equalities Act) guide dogs are allowed entrance into supermarkets and other venues where pet dogs are prohibited. This means that visually impaired guide dog owners can enter such places in the course of their daily lives.
I love Apollo’s soft ears
To reinforce the work of Apollo and other guide dogs, food is used as a reward for stopping at kerbs, finding pelican crossings Etc. The daily intake of food is adjusted to take account of food given as a reward thereby preventing the working guide dog from becoming overweight.
Apollo in his bed after a hard day training me.
My thanks to my friend Brian for taking the photographs above.
A Cold, Sharp Bark
A cold, sharp bark
Pearces the dark,
Interrupting a thought
I really ought
Not to indulge in,
Of women
And sin.
In the city
Those who are witty
Say, in fun,
“Civilisation is done”.
Whilst, in the dark
A fox’s bark
Sounds near, and clear.
A Goat Named Jane
Whilst swimming in a deep castle moat
A goat ate my brand new coat!
And when I did complain
She said, “I am Jane.
And you are the butt of this joke!
Snowlilie’s Brother – Book Announcement by Author Victoria Zigler
Title: Snowlilie’s Brother
Author: Victoria Zigler
Book description:
“Getting a little brother is a good thing… Right?
When Snowlilie the West Highland White Terrier first meets her new little brother – a Cavapoo puppy, who tells her the humans call him Rascal – and realizes having a little brother means having a new doggy friend to play with, she’s excited. That is, until she realizes it also means sharing everything with him – including her favourite ball, some of her food, and Mummy and Daddy’s attention.
Will Snowlilie be forced to tolerate a little brother she doesn’t like? Or can she learn to like Rascal, and accept the changes having a little brother means?”
Available now as an eBook from…
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1022774
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088SZSDQS
…And other online retailers, such as iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.
Dog and Man
I see the sky
And ponder on biology
And culture, that maketh me.
Or am
I part
Of some great plan
For man?
My dog has a heart
Full of love for me.
He is biology
(As I am),
But is he part
Of some inscrutable plan
For dog and man?
I am told
That my dog has no soul,
Yet he is more loving than
Many a man.
Or is it art
That separates dog from man?
Perhaps we are part
Of some god’s great plan.
In the end
My old friend,
I think there is just
The great sky above,
And dust,
and love.
Street Cat
The below is dedicated to my friend’s cat:
There once was a wiley street cat
Who liked to do this and that.
When she went out on the town
All her sorrows to drown,
It ended in a scrap!
—
There once was a wiley street cat
Who liked to do this and that.
She went out on the town
All her sorrows to drown,
With a rat whose name was Matt!
Famous Writers and their Pets
A fascinating review of a book about authors and their pets, https://interestingliterature.com/2019/11/08/alex-johnson-famous-writers-pets-review/. I knew about Edward Lear’s cat Foss, but had no idea that Byron took with him to university one bear (and not the kind of bear one buys in a toy shop)!
I grew up with dogs and still remember with great affection my first dog, Jet. Jet was a black lab/alsatian cross and loved people. He was though not fond of other dogs and (if he got out of the house) would chase cars!
I am now working with my fourth guide dog, a brindle lab/retriever called Trigger, who has just reached the grand old age of 10.
Trigger has featured in several of my poems, including “The Hungry Hound”, https://kmorrispoet.com/2016/02/03/the-hungry-hound/, and “Dog and Ball”, https://kmorrispoet.com/2019/02/18/dog-and-ball-2/.
Kevin
Friends of Furkid Friday
Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.
You know what? I love friends! My Cavapoo brother, Logan, and the squeaky things in cages do too. So… Are you a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, or other non-human creature? Do you share your life with a human calling themselves a writer? Yes, blogging counts. If you answered, “Yes,” to both of those, would you like to become a friend of Furkid Friday? If the answer is still, “Yes,” here’s how to do it:
Send an email with the subject, “Friends Of Furkid Friday,” to keroberous2004@gmail.com asking to be interviewed (you have to do the subject thing, or Mummy might accidentally delete it). One of us will then send you the questions you need to answer for us to set up the post. Simply fill out the document, and send it back to us. Once we have all the information we need, we’ll set up and schedule your post, after which we’ll let you know the date it will
go live, and provide you with a direct link (which will only work once the post is live). Then it’s just a case of waiting for your post to go live, and sharing it around once it is. It would be great if you could comment on it, if possible, too. We love comments!
Interviews are posted on a first come first served basis. Also, we won’t chase you for your responses, because I’m too busy chasing balls, Logan’s too busy chasing his tail and anything else that moves, Mummy’s too busy chasing her next story idea, and the squeaky things in cages… Well, I’m not sure what kinds of things they chase. The point is, though we want you to come be a friend of Furkid Friday, if you want to have your interview show up on our blog, after we send you the questions, you have to remember to send us your answers yourself.
After each interview post goes live, they will be shared in all the places Mummy shares all our blog posts, and a link for the post will be added to the list at the bottom of the “Friends Of Furkid Friday” page too.
Do you want to see some examples of the posts? Check out the friends already featured on the “Friends Of Furkid Friday” page at https://ziglernews.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
Lots of licks,
Lilie
Dog Hair
Your black
Soft hair in my hand.
You lack
The capacity to understand
As you lie in the sun
After your run,
That I shall find dog hair
When you are no longer there,
For hairs to carpets stick
And tears will, one day, prick
The eyes of he
Who loves thee.
(Note: my dog, Trigger is healthy and happy. But, on picking up some of his hair from my living room carpet, I was reminded of his mortality, and indeed that of all flesh).
K Morris - Poet 