She’d been having a rough few months

She’d lost her pup

So my mother and I found ourselves in the local SPCA

For the little girl in the lobby it had also been a big day

Her mother said, “Hold still, Penelope”

As she jumped and swirled in the lobby

I could hear the howling and barking

It was loud

We were told, “Don’t stick your hands in the kennels”

Soon the door swung open and we entered the pound

A dark space, very loud and sad

Dog tails moved about like tendrils

There were few windows

I looked behind the bars to see poodle mixes, pit bulls, and labs

I read the various captions on the kennel doors

Some of the pups had heartworms, some had arthritis and needed a cure

Some had been abandoned

Some had been on chains their whole lives

I held back my tears, thinking of my pup’s good life

My mother stood beside me and said, “This one looks nice”

Penelope told me, “One day I’m going to let them all run free”

My mom snapped photos

“I miss Winnie,” she said, and then “I guess it’s time to go”

An eight-year-old hound begged me to pet him

When no one was looking, I slipped him a biscuit

I could have gotten in trouble but was willing to risk it

We and the other guests all funneled out

My heart was in pieces

I watched that little girl pout

Her mom wouldn’t let her take a dog home

My mom felt the pain in her bones

That evening I held my dog, Billy, so close

He smelled me, the other dogs

I told him about the pound and he said, “We have to give them hope”

Later that night there was a faint tap on my front door

It was Penelope, dressed in black

She said, “We have a plan and need you back”

She waved for me to follow as she went down the steps

Billy looked at me and said, “Let’s go, mama, no regrets”

I looked and saw my mom in a van behind the steering wheel

Me and Billy dressed in black

The dark night matched the feel

We all piled in the car

We arrived behind the pound

Got out, leashes in hand, careful not to make a sound

Penelope jumped the fence

And then picked the lock

Billy entered the kennels and found a dog in each spot

My mom kept watch on the perimeter

In no time me and Penelope and Billy led pups out a few at a time

We loaded 20 dogs into the van

I even held a chihuahua in each hand

I’ve never seen my mom drive so fast

Headed strong for the country grass

I scanned the news stories – nothing

We drove through the night

I could hear some of the dogs grunting

The pups all cuddled and ate some treats

In the back of that van, 84 puppy feet

In the wee hours we arrived

At a palace in the mountains

All the pups survived

We opened the door and let them flood out

Penelope’s mom appeared from behind a fountain

She said, “I had these installed”

Streams of water shot up from the ground

In the middle of sprawling fields

No kennels, no crates, no leashes

Each pup free to run as he pleases

Glucosamine for the joints

Pain-free vet clinic here

Duck strips, tennis balls, and free puppy beer

All the dogs ran free in harmony

Through the hills and forest

Some rolled in the grass

The wounded were healed

The pound was in the past

Penelope’s mom said she had worked things out with the mayor prior-to

The whole charade was for Penelope’s birthday

Permanent, yes, all the pups had been purchased legally

There’d be no judge to answer to

I handed my mom the pup that looked like her Winnie

Told her, “Here’s to new beginnings”

I hugged Penelope

Kissed Billy

My mom and me and Billy and the little new Aussie

All drove back home

I finally got to live my greatest childhood dream

Of setting all the puppies free