Canine Feline Friendship - Part Ii Poem by Dr. Tulsi Hanumanthu

Canine Feline Friendship - Part II
(This poem was composed in 1995. My dearest Julie is now no more)

Meanwhile came our jet-black Julie -
Priceless canine treasure, truly!
One day, the thrown-out pup,
At our gate turned up
To join our pets' increasing family.

The mildest thing on earth, when mild,
At times she turns unruly wild
In play, when given a break!
Offering a friendly 'hand-shake'
She steals the heart of every child!

When checked for chewing her belts and buckles,
She soon converts the checks to chuckles
By bending her right foreleg
(Our pardon as if to beg) ,
And kneeling down upon her 'knuckles'!

Once her body has been oiled,
she knows that water has been boiled
In readiness for her bath.
To the bath, she LEADS the path
For being bathed - with tail uncoiled!

From 4 pm. is her time for play.
To the terrace, with Jim, she dashes away
The moment she's set free.
But, after their jumping spree,
She lets us know she's called it a day.

By taking her given place at the main
Door, once more - where lies her chain.
Sitting there with patience,
She offers least resistance
When someone belts her neck again!

As for the cats and kittens - oh!
I really forgot to let you know
The latest count of felines.
By now they've swelled three times,
The number I'd mentioned a while ago!

While playing still with Jim, they spend
More time with Julie, their new-found friend.
Such love she has, by nature,
For beings of smaller stature,
From stranger dogs, our cats she fends!

In time, when Julie became a mother,
She suckled her pups and kittens together!
No class or colour wall
exists for her at all -
Nor for Jim, their foster-brother!

They pamper so the felid batch,
From off their mouths, when snacks they snatch
Or when they share their bed,
At pussies they ne'er look red.
Our cats-dogs' unity has no match!