For as long as I can remember I have wanted a dog; so when I started to spell, asking for a dog was one of the first elongated conversations I had with my parents. That was four years ago! Since then Susannah has joined me in a sustained campaign for a dog, which we have worked on together with increasing intensity.
Big events in my life get celebrated in poetry, and so I needed to find a poem to fit our campaign. Below is a pantoum which is a poem of any length, composed of four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza serve as the first and third lines of the next stanza. The last line of a pantoum is often the same as the first. Always up for a challenge, my pantoum is dedicated to my fellow campaigner, Susannah.
In the Bible, Jesus tells the story of the persistent widow who goes on and on until she gets what she wants – dogged persistence delivers its dues.
Dogged Persistence
Dogged persistence delivers its dues,
The pattering of tiny feet suggested,
No more babies? We need a dog – don’t refuse,
Drip, drip, drip; slipped into conversation, requested.
The pattering of tiny feet suggested,
The campaign of perseverance swelling,
Drip, drip, drip; slipped into conversation, requested;
The reasons rehearsed: our arguments compelling.
The campaign of perseverance swelling,
Pitter, patter, pitter, patter: soon to be our news,
The reasons rehearsed: our arguments compelling,
Dogged persistence delivers its dues.
EYE CAN TALK 
Have you been talking to my wife Jonathan? She has exactly the same unsuccessful campaign running in our house
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I think you should definitely get a dog. They are amazing animals. My dog tells me when there’s someone at the door because I’m deaf. A dog could do jobs for you to increase your independence eg open doors, pick up things etc. Dogs can even smell cancer. There was a boy at our church who had type one diabetes. His dog told him when his blood sugar was too low or too high. The family have moved to the USA now.
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Lovely words Jonathan, I hope you are granted your wish xx
Sent from my iPad
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The campaign was successful in our house Jonathan- keep going 🙂
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Joanathan, what a wonderful poem.. you use words so well.
I have a Cocker Spaniel dog Johnathan and they are such happy dogs. He helps my family and me, get out and about and he likes chasing our kite. He is a funny dog with lots of character, Jonathan. His name is Gucci and you, Susannah and Jemima would love his cute face.
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Hello Jonathan,
Have you thought about applying for an Assistance Dog? There are now 8 organisations that work with people who would benefit from having a dog trained to help out in various aspects of daily life.
Here’s a link to ‘Assistance Dogs UK’ who are the central hub:
http://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/members/
‘Dogs for Good’ for example, provides assistance dogs to support adults (age 17+) and children (age 7 – 16) with a range of disabilities.
– I’m deaf and have a Hearing Dog called Marshall. He’s been a life changer, not only in all the helpful things he does (like alerting me to sounds I don’t hear) but in being such a good pal!
– And of course as a registered Assistance Dog, he is allowed access to wherever I go 🙂
It may be that now’s not the right time for you/your family to have a dog, but it could be a useful link for you to explore in due course – best wishes!
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