Sonny and the Pooch

Can I keep him, please, dear mother? I found him down the road. I've been to all the neighbors, And this is what I'm told. "That's not my dog there, Sonny." "Haven't seen him 'roud before." Can I keep him, please, dear mother? He needs a home for sure. She looked at him with tearful eyes, And said, "I'm sorry, son. We can't afford to keep him, He must belong to someone." I'll get a job and feed him, Put an ad in lost an found. Can I keep him, please, dear mother? He's such a pretty hound. She said, "alright, it's up to you To feed him every day. You'll pick up every mess he makes, And teach him to obey. If two weeks pass and no one shows, Then give the dog a name; For he'll be yours then Sonny; And that you can proclaim." Two weeks can seem like years, you know, When you have to sit and wait; And your thinking that a stranger Might pass through your front gate. But, Sonny had to find a way To feed his new found friend. Two weeks passed, he named him Pooch, And had some money left to spend. Now, Sonny was responsible; He took his task to heart. Mowing lawns and trimming trees, Was how he got his start. And Pooch was always there with him, Like any friend would be. Together they were quite a team; I'm sure you would agree. That was just the start, my friends, Of great things yet to come. He soon was known throughout the town, As the boy that got things done. There never was a job to hard, For Sonny and the hound. And both I'm sure were thankful, For the friend that they had found. The time has slipped by quickly, It's been fifteen years or more. Sonny's now the owner Of, "The Friendly Hardware Store." And Pooch will lay for hours, On the porch where there is shade. But, now he only wags his tail, To greet the friends that he has made. Sonny knows it won't be long; His Pooch is getting old and gray. He chisels nightly on a stone, Words that he hopes will convey; The gratitude he long has felt; A loving tribute must be paid. The stone now finished, here it stands, Above the ground where Pooch is laid. "Here lays Pooch, a fine companion. He surely was a caring friend. He furnished love and happiness. The memories will never end. His gifts will long be cherished. But the best he brought to me, Was the need to feed a hungry dog, And to learn responsibility."