The loss of Misty, our beloved German Shepherd of 11 years, inspired this written tribute to her.

Many attempts to write something for her remembrance prior to this particular day, became so heart wrenching that I could not continue because the words I wrote were filled with far too much sorrow and grief. I needed her tribute to be something positive and full of warmth, so that I could remember her always with peace in my heart. And so I waited . . . until this poem was ready for her.

Although I will miss "my little one", I can read this poem with peace within, and imagine she is now chasing butterflies high above the clouds.

This poem originally was published in Poems on Life

Misty (Feb. 23, 1988 - May 10, 1999)
How sad it was that until now,
I could not write a line
To help me through this hardship, and
To ease this awful pain.

The sorrow and the emptiness,
The raw and biting fear,
Would overwhelm and blur out
Every line I'd write, with tears.

You were my loved companion for
So many happy years,
That I could not imagine how
I'd live without you here.

Our mornings had become routine,
We settled, over time;
With evenings full of patterns that
Are blueprints in my mind.

Beside me, by my bed at night,
We'd slumber, each in place;
And in the morning without fail,
I'd wake to your sweet face.

We'd lumber down with sleepy eyes
I'd let you out to play,
While making tea and coffee,
Get your breakfast underway.

We'd cuddle and we'd hug
And if I had to go to work,
You'd wait for me so patiently
For then, when I'd return.

I'd beep the horn to say I'm home,
And as I reached the door,
I'd see you through your window,
And my heart would always soar.

The moment that I'd step inside,
Such greetings we would have;
For whether only minutes, or
If hours - you'd be glad.

You'd wag and wiggle, sing and hug,
You'd circle till you dropped,
Onto the floor where then we'd cuddle,
While you howled and talked.

Our days and nights consisted of
Our little family;
For to you, I was mommy,
And with daddy, that made three.

We'd play with all the toys you loved,
Your Frisbee and your ball,
Your tug ring and your rope toy,
And the tire in the yard.

You had such clear expression,
And our hearts would fill with pride,
As little children visited,
And learned your gentle side.

And even in our quiet times,
Relaxing in the den,
My eyes would always seek you out,
And lock on yours - and then,

You'd give a little sigh and wag,
And promptly jump right up,
To come to my familiar arms,
And cuddle like a pup.

The years passed by too quickly,
Though I know that time can't dim,
The memories that I have with you
Will always stay within.

You were a part of every day
I woke, from dawn to dusk;
You were my child I knew was there
Through good times and through rough.

And when we said goodbye to you,
And held you in our arms,
You fell to sleep one final time,
And moved into God's arms.

I like to think that now you have
Been freed from all that pain;
And now you're roaming up above
To live life all again.

You had a lot of loved ones,
Who have passed ahead of you;
And somehow I am comforted
To know they're there for you.

I'm sure that when you saw them there,
To welcome you along,
You wiggled, wagged and talked to them
For there, you now belong.

So though you may have freedom and
Your heart is light and free;
I'm still down here, my little one,
Just struggling daily.

And maybe it was you, who watched
And whispered to me then -
You know your mommy cannot cope,
Without a furry friend.

Instead of crying evermore
Each time I see your toy;
Or walk around where your bowl sat,
Or listen for your sighs.

You knew I couldn't handle yet
Another lonely night;
Where every move is habit
And I search for you each night.

So thank you my dear little one,
For helping me again;
For giving just a little nudge
To help me ease the pain.

I felt you there beside me
As we searched for a new pup;
While gently pushing me along
Until we found the spot.

And just as you had been the one
To pick your dad and mom;
I think you must have been nudging
Our newest little one.

For as I moved toward this little
Furball, and he turned -
There was no question in his eyes
Nor in my heart either.

It happened just as surely as
I'd seen you standing there -
Perhaps you'd whispered, don't miss them,
They're special and they care.

So on this day, I will bring home,
Our newest furry love;
And in this, I take comfort that,
You'll watch us from above.

Rest in Peace, Misty.
You will never be forgotten.
22 Visitor Comments (from the Voting form)
  • -rhonda
    hi, i lost my dog, too. his name was zeak. i lost him thanks to some awful person that ran him over and left my boy too die. its been almost 5 years, i think of him often, and i still tell him how much i love and miss him. he was like my child too.
  • Flo
    The best I've ever read, i write many songs and poems and always wanted to write about this topic, but I can't. Congrats to you for writing "my story" . with tears in his eyes, best regards, flo
  • Louise
    So very touching. Made me cry. It won't be long before my Heidi will have to go and this poem really says it all so eloquently.
  • Eileen
    Beautiful . Touching poem about a loss of a dear friend and pet . Boy! Can I relate to this . as I`m sure many others can. Thank-you Kim for putting into words what I`ve felt in my heart also . missing my sweet little Muffy . Love your poetry!
  • Renee
    I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you to create this beautiful poem. If this poem touched me so deeply, Misty must have been a very special member of your family. The poetry was beautiful and you should be very proud of yourself.
  • Tasha
    Hi, I agree with everything you put into your beautiful and touching poem. Pets arn't just pets they are our family, brothers, sisters, daughters and sons. They are what we could not live without, I personally think that I couldn't survive without that support that out beloved animals bring to us. Thank you for sharing that wonderful poem.
  • Elain
    I cried when I read your peom. You see I just lost my dog ben 2 months ago and I still can't get over it. I will be getting another puppy in December from a litter born in Oct. But nothing will ever replace Ben. I just loved your poem. It really touched me.
  • Lita
    Hello, I would just like to say your the best poet I have ever heard and I love your poems everyone about your dog I cry before I get to the end I was really sad about my cat Shorty who i thought had died, we got another cat and now the other cat that we have I feel is shorty I know its him, its like hes inside the other cat, people may say i am crazy but I now its true that my cat shorty has taken over the cats body, cuz this cat it like him in every way! So maybe with your new dog or fuzzy friend you will found Misty inside of him! Oh and I am not really really sad about shorty anymore because I know hes in my house right now in the other cat as we speak!
  • Liz
    How beautiful and how comforting for someone like myself who just recently lost my dog. Thank you.
  • gail
    i loved your poem,in march i had to have my precious baby girl put down after 13 years with her and now life without her feels so empty sometimes i wonder if the pain will ever go away or if the tears will ever stop once again i loved your poem
  • Rob
    It brought tears to my eyes. Excellant.
  • Bobbi
    What a wonderful, touching poem. I know the feeling and as I was reading it, I could feel the sorrow and love you have for Misty. I rate this a 10!
  • SHAN
    This poem really touched my heart and my six year old daughters heart. My daughters dog Pooh bear got hit by a truck yesterday and she watched it happened. it brought tears to my eyes seeing her in so much pain because her best friend was gone, she cried all day long wondering why it had to be her dog. My six year old had just lost her baby sister almost two years ago this month and has had trouble dealing with the loss of her sister and now her friend Pooh bear. I read her this poem and it brought tears again to both of our eyes and she looked at me and said. Mommy we can't be sad anymore because now my sister has my friend Pooh bear with her and now she can be happy and when she is happy that makes me happy. I looked at her a smiled and she smiled and for the first time in a long time that was the biggest smile she ever gave me and I want to thank you for making us happy again. Our prayers are always with you.
  • John
    That was so sad That it even made me cry. Im sorry for your loss. You see im a dog owner and I feel that same way about my Son (Spencer)he is only 2 years old but i to know that one day he will pass away. Thanks.
  • AG
    very good, could relate well.
  • Silvana
    This poem really touched me. I can understand the pain as i had a dog once. I grew up with my dog and i loved her dearly. But after 14 year in my life she was like a sister that i never had and truely she was a part of our family. I love your poem! I love you Suzi and never forget you!
  • misty
    I have never read anything so touching in my life! And i am always searching for the feeling this poem gave me. thank you
  • Jeannie
    Awesome Poem! It made me think about my dog. And when she dies she'll never b forgotten either! She's like a part of my family. She thinks she's human lol
  • Tiffany
    This is the sweetest most touching poem. Excellent work!
  • Lynne
    Oh I loved it. I cried as I thought of my Roman who we put down 4 years ago, I always refer to Roman as my first-born son
  • Josh
    I've never read such a heart warming poem. This poem hit me so hard that I started to cry and I've never even had a dog. I love all the emotion that filled this website up. I hope you are now happy with your furry little pup.
  • Misty
    Being an animal lover myself..I truly can feel the lose of the poet. What a beautiful poem for the other loves in our life

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