Wally Rose (for the kiddies)

Wally Rose

A little puppy followed me home from school one day;

He acted like he knew me, and wanted me to play.

Black and white– a shaggy coat and button of a nose;

A playful little mutt was he; I named him Wally Rose.

Very soon he fit right in; my family quickly chose

To make a member out of him– the tiny Wally Rose.

He loved to chew on everything from tennis shoes to hose;

Daddy let him fetch his slippers– guess what he did to those!

He chewed them up till they were frayed and ripped around the toes;

Daddy sternly scolded him; I’m glad my mother sews!

He’d chase the ball and bring it back, and wag his stubby tail;

Till someone threw the ball again, his persistence would not fail.

He loved to play with Bows, the cat, who just could not perceive

Why he played so rough like that– she wished that he would leave.

But as time passed, she realized he didn’t mean her harm;

She soon became a friend to him, and with him shared our farm.

He liked to follow Bossie as she grazed around the dell;

He’d bark and fuss, and try to catch her long fly-swatter tail.

“Go and play with someone else– with Franklin or with Bows;

And stop all that annoying me, you naughty Wally Rose!”

Now Franklin didn’t mind one bit when Wally came around,

“Cause he’d wallow in the mud with him– a “piggy of a hound”.

He’d romp and roll, then shake the mud right off his shaggy coat;

He’d say “Good-bye”, and off he’d go to pester Bill, the goat.

Bill would try to hide behind a haystack when he’d see

That pesky nuisance, Wally Rose, approaching friskily.

But Wally Rose would search for Bill until he sniffed him out;

Then crouch and bark and chase the goat until he wore him out.

And then, old Bill would take a rest, and as he’d start to doze,

Nestled close beside him there was a sleepy Wally Rose.

Wally grew and grew each day beneath the country skies;

A puny mutt he was no more, but mature and somewhat wise.

Nowadays, he’s quite a hand to have around the farm;

He brings the chickens in to roost and Bossie to the barn.

He stands tall, a handsome brute– a somewhat pleasing hound,

That’s loyal to his life-long friends, and good to have around.

Now Bill and Bossie, Franklin, and I and even Bows

Can’t imagine life before I brought home Wally Rose!

Katrina Estes Hill