dogs that left faux paw prints extant within me life

lids black out and allow me to write
while eyes shut tight
bring back four legged friends sprite
and though many years passed quite

I can remember those precious creatures 
   who barked at night
howling at inaudible sound or invisible light
casting silhouettes that fight

punctured the air with verbal byte
and now I list long gone 
   smart pets in alphabetical order – alright?

Baron – substantially German Sheppard
   met his demise chasing a car on level road
the advantage overtaken 
   per vehicle with greater lode
which accidental death 
   found him buried in an unmarked grave  
   i.e. underground abode.

Georgie – a combination Boxer and Dalmatian 
(with his cropped tail to boot 
   grew up as my canine brother
an essentially gave up the ghost 
   from organ failure of one or another.

Lady – this fur certain white German Sheppard 
uncertain how, when or what 
   led to her body to collapse
perhaps while listening to snoop doggy dog raps
found on base near first stair 
   when rigor mortis set deathly traps.

Ruff – he and his litter mate Teddy 
(listed below), an alpha beast o man’s and 
   woman’s best friend with moments of rage
as applicable to a dog, and seemed 
   to evince an intelligence like a sage.

Schultz – he apparently vanished in thin air
without a trace, not e’en 
   a filament of fur like hair
hopefully taken in by another pet lover, 
   but who knows where.

Shadow – pride of eldest sister, 
   he succumbed after becoming thermally ill
though diminutive for a black lab, 
   his absence left a void quite large to fill.

Socrates - dealt with harsh mistreatment 
   and distemper than tossed out
like trash, mine to sisters, 
   who nursed him with tender loving care
from his faux paws to a keen snout
which maintained his longevity no doubt.

Teddy – another throw away pet 
   found at Jacobsburg – 
   near Easton, Pennsylvania.
one lame leg (damaged 
   during his puppy hood) 
lived til olde age. 

   my younger sister ( Shari) 
   brought him and Ruff home, 

   where their entire life he did stay
inherently evincing intelligence 
   that happiness found that chance
provided a doting owner this way.