My Dog Eats Cantaloupe

Sometimes our basenjis inspire us to be silly.

Here's a poem, dedicated to my basenji, Bashir.

My Dog Eats Cantaloupe

by BashirsMomma

I have a handsome dog, indeed,
But he’s a little strange
To others who don’t know the breed
They all think he’s deranged

He doesn’t bark - He yodels though
And likes to say “Barooo!”
And if you really want to know
He’s quite the singer, too!

“A barkless dog?” so many say
“That’s just my kind!”
But when they see his crazy ways
They tend to change their mind

He doesn’t know how to “heel”
Or how to walk “gently”
He pulls me any way he feels
When we go walkies

This crazy barkless dog of mine
Is more than just bizarre
More than once, he’s crossed the line
And gone a bit too far

He’ll dig big holes out the back
He’ll chew holes through the wood
But my dog has quite the knack
For making bad look good

The dog destroyed my mattress too
It needed some repair
I knew just what I had to do -
Put duct tape everywhere!

He’ll never come to dinner late
When something good is cooking
He steals the food right off my plate
When I am not looking

But that’s ok, I understand
Dog food is overrated
The kibble must be very bland
And he’s food motivated

He much prefers some human food
Like chicken for his meals
That’s when he knows how to be good
But when he’s not, he steals

He steals food every night
Like he was never fed
He’s got quite the appetite
(He ate up half my bed!)

But just the other day I saw
Something very cute
The gentle lift of his paw
For some of momma’s fruit

“You don’t want a Clementine!”
I tried hard to explain
He just thought “That food is mine!”
His paw was raised again

So I give him some of mine
And he ate it up
He wolfed it down in no time
And now he likes fruit cups

“A banana? Are you kidding me?
An apple? Are you sure?
Even frozen strawberries?
You really want some more?”

“Aren’t you a carnivore?
I thought that dogs ate meat!”
I can’t predict anymore
What kinds of things he’ll eat

I know he eats everything
And anything he’s able
He ate my underwear last spring
He ate my coffee table

But when on earth did he decide
That he liked fresh berries?
When was meat and rawhide
Replaced with fresh cherries?

Darwin sure would be confused
By my dog’s predilection
How does a carnivore choose
This unnatural selection?

In Africa an antelope
Is what my dog would eat
But my dog eats a cantaloupe
As his wildest treat

Perhaps he thinks he’s people too
Or wants to be, instead
(But if that were really true
Why did he eat my bed?)

I haven’t figured him out yet
What’s in his canine brain
All I know is that this pet
Just ate my lunch again!

He’s quirky on the best of days
But that’s ok by me
I love him for his odd ball ways…

HE’S MY BASENJI!