when i was a boy,
Spot,
a black and white Cocker Spaniel
chose me.
she looked like the dog
in our grade one readers
“Run, Spot, run!”
she was a stray
wandering around our neighborhood
looking for a home.
there were other kids she could have chosen
but, she chose me.
our family adopted her.
it changed my life —
i had a friend.
in winter
she refused to go outdoors
in freezing temperatures.
she peed and pooped on our basement floor
with a shovel, my dad would pick up after her
once a week he would spray the floor
with the garden hose
Spot left us
like Peter Pan
when we stopped believing in her
when i walk through the woods
i imagine her, beyond the next bend,
chasing butterflies,
or being chased by rabbits —
she’s with me
always.
Dennis Cardiff 
We also had a dog named Spot when I was a kid, and he was black and white. As I look back now, I believe Spot was a Beagle, but Daddy always just said he was a “huntin’ dog’…and Daddy did hunt. So there you have it. LOL!
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Hi Felicia, our Spot was an American Water Spaniel, so offcially she was a duck hunting dog. I had a rifle, but never did any real hunting, just shot trees.
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Tugged my heart. I had a ‘Spot’ also. Her name was Susie, and we found her half-frozen 3 blocks from our house with no tags. I was 11, and Susie became my best friend.
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That’s such a lovely poem, Dennis, in memory of a faithful friend and companion đŸ™‚
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