Quinn is So Sorry

 

Quinn is So Sorry

Quinn is so sorry.
When a full-grown German shepherd
bites a baby, the dog loses.
Quinn knows the rules.
His canine tooth ripped a small hole
in the baby’s cheek. Now all is confusion
as Quinn grovels for forgiveness,
baby cries in mother’s arms,
mother dabs at the little spot of blood,
no big deal.

Baby crawling across the floor
touched the food bowl
while Quinn was eating.
A flash of reflex.
Wolf instinct, defend the food.
It’s our fault for not watching out.

Baby cries, Quinn whimpers, we explain,
guilty parents, guilty dog
all needing translators
but we know Quinn the protector
would die defending that baby
and no great harm is done,
lesson learned.

Forget the doctor
who might report us for bad parenting
or bad dogging
or — jeez — they might kill Quinn so
we treat the babe ourselves and
my son, now age thirty-two
still has a scar in the cheek.
He loves dogs.

……

From my book Foggy Dog
First published in MOON magazine—thank you
editor Leslee Goodman