His doggie ran into the street,
It was an accident most gruesome.
When ever either one was seen,
It had always been a twosome.

Charley was in town in school,
When the accident occurred.
The honking horn, the screeching brakes,
Were the sounds his mother heard.

She rushed him to the family vet,
Who said he would get well.
But Paddy was so awfully weak
He couldn’t wag his tail.

She went to town to pick up Charley,
At the end of his school day
“There’s something I must tell you,
Before you go out to play.”

She carefully tried to break the news,
To Charley, of his pet.
She told him Paddy had been hurt
And had gone to see the vet.

Then Charley stood in silence,
With a smile he finally said,
“I love him very much
And I’m glad that he’s not dead.”

His mother was surprised,
He had taken it so well.
How little boys react,
No one could ever tell.

Then Charley came back in
And asked where was his pet.
His mother said I told you,
I took him to the vet.

Then Charley screamed and cried,
And yelled, “Oh no, not Paddy!
When you told me after school,
I thought that you said ‘Daddy!'”

Paddy might seem a little morose until you consider the moral of the story.

There is no greater relationship than that between a boy and his dog. A dog’s loyalty cannot be questioned and they are constant companions during the long summer days. A daddy, on the other hand, is all too often someone who comes home from the office, kicks off his shoes, reads the paper, eats supper, talks on the telephone and goes to bed.

If you tend to be this kind of father, who do you think that your son would miss the most? I remember, as a boy, that my dog was someone to whom I could bare my soul. I had one dog that was run over and the loss, in my young mind, could not have been greater. I saw that same overwhelming loss being experienced by my oldest son, Ron, when the tragedy was repeated in his own young life.

If you are a father, you may not be able to compete with your child’s pet as best friend but, with a little effort on your part, you can come in a close second.