Hi Mark….awhile back I had to put down our black German Shepherd “Wolf”…what a sweet dog he was….I’m a songwriter and this “poem” I wrote reads more like song lyrics but wanted to share it with you…Mark, thank you for all that you do!…seems whenever our country needs people to stand up there are always people who fill the gap…we have a long way to go to get back to where our country needs to be but you are more than doing your part!..thank you sir!…now the poem….

Said goodbye to an old friend just the other day;
He thought we were goin with a stick to play;
I felt like a traitor as I led the way;
held him in my arms as he slipped away.

Now who’s gonna help me feed the horses?
Now who’s gonna help me get their hay?
Now who’s gonna greet me with that happy cry,
Anytime I’ve ever been away?

Now who’s gonna be there to accept me,
Just as I am, no questions ever asked;
Hope you never say goodbye to such an old friend;
to do so is the most heart wrenching task.

As his last breath left him on that morning;
My mind remembered all the times we’d played;
A better friend no one could ever ask for,
I cried and whispered in his ear; “it’s ok”

Now who’s gonna help me feed the horses?
Now who’s gonna help me get their hay?
Now who’s gonna greet me with that happy cry,
Anytime I’ve ever been away?

Now who’s gonna be there to accept me,
Just as I am, no questions ever asked;
Hope you never say goodbye to such an old friend;
to do so is the most heart wrenching task.

Ernie Birney 1997