To Ralphie

Tribute to a Dog

The one absolutely unselfish friend
that man can have in this selfish world,
the one that never deserts him,
the one that never proves
ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.

A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty.
In health and in sickness.
He will sleep on the cold ground,
where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely,
if only he may be near his master's side.
He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer;
he will lick the wounds and sores that come
in encounter with the roughness of the world.

He guards the sleep of his pauper master
as if he were a prince.
When all other friends desert, he remains.
When riches take wing and reputation falls to pieces,
he is as constant in his love as the sun in its
journey through the heavens.

-- Senator George Vest, 1870

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Happy birthday, my little man!

I ruv you.