11 Poems about Dogs that Celebrate Your Canine Companions

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Dogs have been man’s constant companion for thousands of years, having been domesticated some 40,000 years ago. They’ve been helpful to humans in countless ways, from herding and hunting, to assisting police and aiding the disabled or elderly.

But most of us know the dog as a pet—a lovable companion that we can bond and grow with. Playful, adorable, and extremely adaptive and empathic, they’ve truly earned their sobriquet as man’s best friend.

The Best Poems About Dogs

Are you a dog lover? Read on to find the best poems about dogs that are sure to touch you and your furry friend. This selection of poems demonstrates the ways we interact with our dogs, from the joy of owning one to the grief of losing them.

1. The Power of the Dog by Rudyard Kipling 

Framed as a dishonest warning, Kipling tells of how dogs inevitably die and leave us in grief. But rather than discourage, the poem emphasizes the importance of these creatures in our lives and why the inevitable pain is worth it.

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie—
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
But… you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!).
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone—wherever it goes—for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.

We’ve sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we’ve kept ’em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long—
So why in—Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

2. Dog by Lawrence Ferlinghetti 

The poem will let you enjoy a new perspective of the world through the eyes of a dog. Simple observations take on deeper meanings as the dog observes human life. You can find the full poem here.

The dog trots freely in the street

and has his own dog’s life to live

and to think about

and to reflect upon

touching and tasting and testing everything

investigating everything

without benefit of perjury

a real realist

with a real tale to tell

and a real tail to tell it with

3. A little Dog that wags his tail by Emily Dickinson

Seeing a dog wag his tail is one of the simplest and most satisfying pleasures. Emily Dickinson compares this action to the youthful happiness of childhood. 

A little Dog that wags his tail
And knows no other joy
Of such a little Dog am I
Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day
Without an earthly cause
Because he is a little Boy
I honestly suppose —

The Cat that in the Corner dwells
Her martial Day forgot
The Mouse but a Tradition now
Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me
Who neither please nor play
But not to make a "bit of noise"
Beseech each little Boy —

4. Dharma by Billy Collins 

Dharma is a simple observation of how freedom is different for humans and animals. Dogs, in particular, are much better at living without burden than humans. Check out the full poem here.

If only she did not shove the cat aside
every morning
and eat all his food
what a model of self-containment she
would be,
what a paragon of earthly detachment.
If only she were not so eager
for a rub behind the ears,
so acrobatic in her welcomes,
if only I were not her god.

5. My Dog Practices Geometry by Cathryn Essinger 

This poem starts off with the author’s love of personification, something other poets hate. She then uses it to describe her dog’s actions as it chases down a squirrel. Read the full poem here.

Nor do I like the mathematicians who tell me

I cannot say, "The zinnias are counting on their

fingers," or "The dog is practicing her geometry,"


even though every day I watch her using

the yard's big maple as the apex of a triangle

from which she bisects the circumference


of the lawn until she finds the place where

the rabbit has escaped, or the squirrel upped

the ante by climbing into a new Euclidian plane.

6. Lost Dog by Ellen Bass 

All dog owners have feared losing their dogs somewhere, and Ellen Bass clearly lays down that feeling of anxiety and fear into her poem. Don’t worry—it has a happy ending. Read the full poem here. 

It's just getting dark, fog drifting in,
damp grasses fragrant with anise and mint,
and though I call his name
until my voice cracks,
there's no faint tinkling
of tag against collar, no sleek
black silhouette with tall ears rushing
toward me through the wild radish.

7. A Dog Has Died by Pablo Neruda 

Written as a response to his dog’s death, Pablo Neruda explores the meaning behind human/animal relationships, our sense of companionship, and death. Read the full poem here.

Some day I'll join him right there,

but now he's gone with his shaggy coat,

his bad manners and his cold nose,

and I, the materialist, who never believed

in any promised heaven in the sky

for any human being,

I believe in a heaven I'll never enter.

Yes, I believe in a heaven for all dogdom

where my dog waits for my arrival

waving his fan-like tail in friendship.

8. An Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog by Oliver Goldsmith

The poem is presented as a satire of how a person’s outward appearance is often different from their inner thoughts and behaviors. A man might look like a good Christian, but may only be concerned for himself. 

Good people all, of every sort,
Give ear unto my song;
And if you find it wondrous short,
It cannot hold you long.
In Islington there was a man,
Of whom the world might say
That still a godly race he ran,
Whene’er he went to pray.

A kind and gentle heart he had,
To comfort friends and foes;
The naked every day he clad,
When he put on his clothes.
And in that town a dog was found,
As many dogs there be,
Both mongrel, puppy, whelp and hound,
And curs of low degree.

This dog and man at first were friends;
But when a pique began,
The dog, to gain some private ends,
Went mad and bit the man.
Around from all the neighbouring streets
The wondering neighbours ran,
And swore the dog had lost his wits,
To bite so good a man.

The wound it seemed both sore and sad
To every Christian eye;
And while they swore the dog was mad,
They swore the man would die.
But soon a wonder came to light,
That showed the rogues they lied:
The man recovered of the bite,
The dog it was that died.

9. The Dog by Ogden Nash

Four short lines that celebrate a dog’s love and devotion, particularly when they’re wet.

The truth I do not stretch or shove
When I state that the dog is full of love.
I've also found, by actual test,
A wet dog is the lovingest.

10. To Flush, My Dog by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

One of the longer poems in this list, Flush is probably one of the most famous real dogs in literature. In the entirety of the poem’s 21 stanzas, Browning expresses her devotion and gratitude to her pet cocker spaniel. Read the complete poem here. 

LOVING friend, the gift of one,

Who, her own true faith, hath run,

Through thy lower nature ;

Be my benediction said

With my hand upon thy head,

Gentle fellow-creature !



Like a lady's ringlets brown,

Flow thy silken ears adown

Either side demurely,

Of thy silver-suited breast

Shining out from all the rest

Of thy body purely.



Darkly brown thy body is,

Till the sunshine, striking this,

Alchemize its dulness, —

When the sleek curls manifold

Flash all over into gold,

With a burnished fulness.



Underneath my stroking hand,

Startled eyes of hazel bland

Kindling, growing larger, —

Up thou leapest with a spring,

Full of prank and curvetting,

Leaping like a charger.

11. Mother Doesn’t Want a Dog by Judith Viorst

Simple and humorous, Viorst’s poem depicts a child bent on keeping a pet. Her mother’s refusal to keep a dog might just backfire. Check out the full poem here.

Mother doesn’t want a dog.
Mother says they smell,
And never sit when you say sit,
Or even when you yell
When you come home late at night
And there is ice and snow,
You have to go back out because
The dumb dog has to go.

Reading Poems About Dogs

Dogs are among the rare creatures that can instantly win our hearts and change our lives with their unconditional love and loyalty.

Reading poems about dogs lets you relive cherished moments, from a chance encounter with a random dog to the intimate moments you may have shared with your own.

From a dog’s undying love and devotion, to the unmatched grief of losing one, these poems capture the full experience of knowing and loving a dog.

Have you written a poem about a dog? Share it in the comment section below!

 

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