A Farewell To Jedder Poem by Francis Duggan

At the veterinary clinic by the vet she was put down
It was her last day in Wonthaggi Town
Old Jedder had been getting on in years
Still saying farewell it reduced me to tears.

Her balance gone from years of wear and tear
And bald patches in her black and white hair
Well beyond her best years you well might say
Suppose that every dog do have their day.

Old Jedder in her prime I can recall
She hunted rabbits and chased stick and ball
A heeler-border collie cross and made of stern stuff
And she did not mind it when the going got tough.

In her twelfth year the hard life on her did tell
And of her former self only a shell
Bent from arthritis yet she did not complain
And I had her put down to save her further pain.

I fancy there's a World beyond the sky
A Land for dogs to go to when they die
And Jedder she is gone to live up there
To dwell forever free of pain and care.

My last respects to the old dog I paid
By the tree in garden where she often played
But I am maudlin I cannot be brave
And I wept as I shovelled earth on her grave.

A last farewell to Jedder my old friend
One who was faithful to me till the end
A young dog once more her new life she enjoy
In the dog paradise beyond the sky.