[Jim Ramsey]

[version 3]. s3l3 changed based on Alexandra's suggestion from "...and legs she gives the squirrels not peace or rest." to " ...and legs, she limps but gives the squirrels no rest." Also comma deleted after "laugh" and added after "legs" again at Alexandra's suggestion. Also, "given" which she found weak, was changed to "gobbling"

Rescue [or] Rescue Team

A shelter mutt, adopted out, returned...
I guess because she has a quirk or two…
okay, a couple more than just a few.
Her smiles belie the times when she was spurned.

When gobbling treats her eyes roll like a shark’s.
Her crooked teeth can snap a bone in half,
but nips and nibbles tickle and we laugh
when herded doorward toward her choice of parks.

She looks a cross of bullie and cattle dog—
with thirty shotgun pellets in her chest
and legs, she limps but gives the squirrels no rest.
Her poop attests some part of her is hog.

We fetch it reeking from the leaves and fescue...
oh what good luck she chose us two to rescue!
[or]
sheer luck she chose us quirky two to rescue!

edits of 010524: "partly" and "mostly" chnaged
edits of 010324: S2L4 "favorite" changed to "choice of" and S3L4 "partly" changed to "mostly."


[version 2]newest edit: "gleaming" changed to "reeking" in last couplet

Rescue

A shelter mutt, adopted out, returned...
I guess because she has a quirk or two…
okay, a couple more than just a few.
Her smiles belie the times when she was spurned.

When getting treats her eyes roll like a shark’s.
Her crooked teeth could snap a bone in half—
her nibbles tickle though and make us laugh.
She signals time to go with yips and barks.

She’s partly bullie, partly cattle dog,
has thirty seven B-Bs in her face
and legs. She nips at heels and gives us chase.
Her beefy number twos leave eyes agog.

We fetch them reeking from the leaves and fescue...
oh what good luck she chose us two to rescue!

[version 1]
Rescue

A shelter mutt, adopted out, returned,
assumed, because she had a quirk or two
—okay, a couple more than just a few.
Her smile belies her trials of being spurned.

When getting treats her eyes roll like a shark’s
and though her teeth could snap a bone in half,
her gentle nibbles only tickle, so we laugh.
She signals need to go with yips and barks.

One half’s from bullies, one, from cattle dogs,
has thirty seven B-Bs lodged in her face
and legs. She limps, but gives the squirrels a chase
and yields up number twos the size of logs.

We fetch them gleaming from the leaves and fescue.
It’s purely luck she’s chosen us to rescue.