Merry’s Christmastime Tale
The Arkansas junkyard owner was called
Sam McGwuinn
Yes, he was thin
And also lean
And sometimes he could be mean
He was smart and gruff
And watched out for his stuff
Sometimes day and night
But always out of sight
The work was getting hard
And he needed help in the yard
So he found a good dog named Ann
From an old mechanic driving by in his van
Ann started her guard dog work one day
in the fall
She was fast and smart and scared away all
Who were intent to harm Sam
By downright theft or simply by scam
Sam was grateful enough
And proud of his watchdog, smart and tough
But he didn’t pay attention
To a growing problem, too delicate to mention
Soon Sam began to worry
He needed to come up with a plan in a hurry
Ann was clearly a mom – to – be
A week or two more, maybe three
So he took Ann to the neighborhood vet
A good hearted woman whose name was Nanette
She told Sam the pups would be okay
If he was careful to call her without delay
Ann stayed indoors with Sam on Christmas
day
But early next morning, the pups were on their way
A girl and a boy pup, so small
Sam smiled when he saw them and soon made the call
Nanette checked the pups out and gave
them her care
But it was the day after Christmas and
Most of her kennel staff wasn't there
Sam looked at Ann and frowned
“They’re cute but I can’t have them around
You’re too good a dog to retire today
So we’ll need to pack those pups up and give them away.”
Nanette was distracted and didn't see
the closing door
With a note from Sam saying “Can’t have them no more.”
It was just after Christmas but Nanette feared
That the holiday spirit would soon disappear because
There were different strong storm waves
from Katrina, that monster storm
Moving hundreds of pets then far away from harm
Nanette’s shelter would once more need to open its doors
To more stranded orphans from Katrina’s ravished shores.
But, Nanette knew that this rescue round
would follow a good plan
With friends from up north coming down in their van
Howard Bound Dog Rescue was painted on its side
Its’ volunteers would arrive tired from this much traveled
ride
Since Katrina had slammed into the gulf
coast shore
Friends had worked non-stop to move more and more
Of the storm-ravaged pets
To high-kill shelters liked Nanette’s
Nanette’s shelter friends would
all have to go
To make room for Katrina dogs from Gulf States below
But Homeward Bound Dog Rescue was soon on the scene
Taking shelter dogs up north where they’d find life serene
Even in winter, in bad weather times
time, too,
The van made the journey and brought back a few
Shelter dogs who needed a good home, a good family,
And good places to roam
So Ann’s two pups stayed a little
while and were made ready
To travel up north
Nanette made them healthy with
Shots, vitamins, and special puppy broth
But Sam hadn’t named Puppy One
or Puppy Two
And Nanette was so busy with so much to do
To ready these pups for their trip in the van
She gotten them licensed, photographed and micro-chip scanned
Soon Homeward Bound Dog Rescue friends
would arrive
And Nanette’s shelter would be but one stop out of five
When friends from up north were at the shelter’s door
They were greeted by Ann’s two pups--- nameless no more
She’d named the girl Meredith
Christmas, so “Merry” for all to remember
A Christmastime birthday each happy December
The boy’s name was Chris, an obvious ploy
So the frisky newcomer would always bring holiday joy
Chris and Merry were all set and out
of the door
They jumped into their crates and wondered what was in store
An adventure and travel – a hope for the best
And soon they were settled and willing to rest
The van traveled throughout three or
four states
Making stops to take high-kill shelter dogs from their fates
And back up to Albany where
Kindly New Yorkers would give them good care
Until the right new families could be
found
By the swell volunteers of Homeward Bound
When Chris and Merry arrived in Colonie
They pranced and danced so gleefully
They captured the hearts of their new friends, big and small
And soon had a “homecoming” that surprised them all
Chris jumped right onto the lap of Dan, the
Intrepid driver of the Homeward Bound van
He licked Dan and cuddled and kissed and swatted
It was clear that Dan was completed besotted.
Chris had found a home with Dan
Just the first few hours after leaving the van!
But Merry couldn’t come with her
brother
Dan’s house had two dogs now, couldn’t hold another
So Merry stayed just two days with Dan and his wife Betts
And then came to the Adoption Clinic at Benson’s Pets
Merry was placed in the new puppy “pen”
With other new pups and two young “helpers” to cuddle
them
The pups were all scared and stayed close to the humans –
some started to cry
Each hoped beyond hope that a new “mom” would stop by
Merry wasn’t scared and she didn’t
cry
She was Ann’s daughter, after all, smart
Tough and knowing how to get by
So when a new “mom” approached her and held out her
arms
Merry leaped from her young helper and put on her charm
There she was, in “mom’s”
arms and all over her face
With kisses and wiggles and paws armed to race
Out of Benson’s back door, although not far to roam
But to find herself, pronto, in a friendly new home.
What choice did we have when
Merry adopted us?
We signed all the adoption forms without much of a fuss
This story’s now over and Merry’s
so happy
To have found a family who loves that she’s scrappy
Silly, smart and so clever
She’s stolen all of our hearts in a flash and now never,
But never she’ll have worries for love, shelter or food
Because Homeward Bound helped her to come home, for good.
(Sam McGwuinn is a fictional name and is not intended to represent
an actual person)
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