Gone to the Dogs

Sharing Stories

Pat D'Amico and her first Dog Love, Monte.
| January 8, 2023

“Gone to the Dogs”

Those who venerate their dogs, to some, seem slightly “off.”

I, for one, have long been known to tolerate this scoff.

The kids are gone, the dogs are dear, so what else can we do?

(We care not that our friends suspect a slightly loosened screw.)

We look out for their social needs and set up doggy dates.

We watch them frolic with their pals behind protective gates.

We glow in our parental pride while their attributes we brag about.

It happens to a lot of folks when their nests are emptied out.

Pat D’Amico, local writer and poet, wrote this poem for her daughter’s friend when her last kid left home.

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).

SHARING STORIES is featured on http://www.northwestprimetime.com, the website

for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit http://www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type “sharing stories” or a writer’s name into the search function above.

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