IN THE DOG HOUSE

It was a busy fire station,
We’d been working through the night.
It took a lot of patience,
And we fought with all our might.

When we returned back to the home front,
We still had more flames to douse.
For a letter said that we’d been summoned
To the Moffett County Courthouse.


“Thanks for coming by, gents,
I need to ask a couple favors.
Your dog doesn’t have a license,
And you need to file his adoption papers.”

“We took care of this business,”
Said our Chief unto the man,
“It was just after last Christmas.
Could you go and check again?”


“I just spoke with the Sergeant,
It seems your application’s been delayed.
You’ve got some overdue book charges
And a parking ticket not yet paid.

And according to our office,
There are some issues with your property.
It turns out when you built a dog house,
You did several things improperly.


It says that an inspector
Came to check your dog’s abode.
It didn’t have a surge protector,
And so it wasn’t up to code.

And our office has determined
That you failed to file an application,
And you didn’t have a valid permit
When you built that house behind your station.


I talked with our clerk Hazel,
Who says we’ve looked through all our faxes.
You never filed a new appraisal
With the board of property taxes.

Now, this doesn’t give me pleasure,
But your dog’s adoption is contested.
We’ll need to take corrective measures,
Or else Gus will be arrested.


First you’ll need a brand new survey,
To see if you’ve encroached upon an easement.
And I’ll have to contact Harvey
To update your tax assessment.

We’ll have to study noise abatement,
In case that dog would ever bark,
And an environmental impact statement,
Since your station’s near a city park.


I’ll need you first to sign these waivers,
And get them witnessed by clerk Margaret.
And over here’s a stack of papers
Outlining all the fees and past due charges.”

Chief took one look and he was furious.
His face turned red and out he hollered,
“Is this some joke? You can’t be serious!
We can’t afford four thousand dollars!”


He replied, “There might be a few more items,
I just got a message from my aid …
He’s resolved all of your problems???
And your fees have all been paid???”

I woke up from my dream last night,
And learned I was that adopted pet.
Upon the cross He made things right,
And cancelled all my debt.


David J Allen
January 20, 2005


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