Top 15 Poems about Dogs You Must Read as a Dog Lover

Dogs are our loyal companions and beloved friends. Dogs have inspired poets for centuries with their tireless dedication and adorable tricks. In the realm of poetry, these supreme friends have been celebrated for their loyalty, playfulness, and profound connections with humans. Join me on a poetic journey through the world of ‘ To 15 Poems about Dogs,’ where verses and stanzas come to life to capture the essence of these remarkable creatures in all their tail-wagging, heartwarming glory.”

This thesis is blueprinted by Rashedul Islam (National University)

I. An Elegy On The Death Of A Mad Dog

Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1874)

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.

Read the Full Poem: An Elegy On The Death Of A Mad Dog

Analysis: Oliver Goldsmith (1728-74) is an Irish poet and playwright. The poem “An Elegy On The Death Of A Mad Dog” was originally published within Goldsmith’s extremely popular novel The Vicar of Wakefield in 1766. The poem humorously narrates the tragic end of a rabid dog. The poem highlights how gossip and belief can lead to unsupported conclusions and the consequences of rash judgments.

II. A Little Dog That Wags His Tail

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

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 –

Read the Full Poem: A Little Dog That Wags His Tail

Analysis: Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) is an American Poet. The poem was published in the late 19th century. The poem reveals the simplicity and joy of life’s small, everyday pleasures.

III. The Power of the Dog

Rudyard Kipling (1865 – 1936)

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.

Read the Full Poem: The Power of the Dog

Analysis: Rudyard Kipling (1865 – 1936) is a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. Published in 1899, the poem “The Power of the Dog” reflects on the enduring impact of love and loyalty despite the transience of life.

IV. Geist’s Grave

Matthew Arnold (1822-88)

 

Four years!–and didst thou stay above
The ground, which hides thee now, but four?
And all that life, and all that love,
Were crowded, Geist! into no more?

Read the Full Poem: Geist’s Grave

Analysis: Matthew Arnold (1822-88) was an English poet and literary critic. His poem ‘Geist’s Grave’ was first published in 1880. The poem laments the loss of spiritual depth in modern society through the metaphor of a buried ghost.

V. To Flush, My Dog

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-61)

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 !

Read the Full Poem: To Flush, My Dog

Analysis: Elizabeth Barrett Browning is an English poet of the Victorian arena. To Flush, My Dog was published in her collection of poems titled “Poems Before Congress” in 1860. It is a heartfelt tribute to her beloved pet. The poem celebrates the simple joys of companionship and highlights the enduring bond between humans and their animal companions.

VI. The Dog

Ogden Nash (1902–1971)

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.

 

Read the Full Poem: The Dog

Analysis: Ogden Nash (1902–1971) is an American poet. He is famous for his light verse over 500 pieces. The poem was published in his 1949 collection titled “Versus.”The poem celebrates the loyalty, charm, and abnormalities of dogs in a light-hearted and endearing manner.

VII. Dog

Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021)

The dog trots freely in the street
and sees reality
and the things he sees
are bigger than himself
and the things he sees
are his reality

Read the Full poem: Dog

Analysis: Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (1919-2021) was an American poet, painter, and social activist. The poem was published in 1958 in Ferlighetti’s masterpiece “A Coney Island of the Mind: Poems”.  The poem explores the paradoxical nature of human existence through the perspective of a street dog.

VIII. A Dog Has Died

Pablo Neruda (1904-73)

Translated by Alfred Yankauer

My dog has died.
I buried him in the garden
next to a rusted old machine.

Read the Full Poem: A Dog Has Died

Analysis: Pablo Neruda (1904-73) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician. This elegiac poem was initially published in 1940. The poem explores themes of love, loss, and the profound connection between humans and their loyal dog companions.

IX. Epitaph to a Dog

George Gordon Lord Byron (1788 – 1824)

When some proud Son of Man returns to Earth,
Unknown to Glory but upheld by Birth,
The sculptor’s art exhausts the pomp of woe,
And storied urns record who rests below:
When all is done, upon the Tomb is seen
Not what he was, but what he should have been.
But the poor Dog, in life the firmest friend,

 

X. Waiting For Happiness

Nomi Stone

Dog knows when friend will come home
because each hour friend’s smell pales,
air paring down the good smell
with its little diamond. It means I miss you
O I miss you, how hard it is to wait

 

XI. Dog Around The Block

E.B. White

Dog around the block, sniff,
Hydrant sniffing, corner, grating,
Sniffing, always, starting forward,
Backward, dragging, sniffing backward,
Leash at taut, leash at dangle,

 

XII. Dharma

Billy Collins

The way the dog trots out the front door
every morning
without a hat or an umbrella,
without any money
or the keys to her doghouse
never fails to fill the saucer of my heart

 

XIII. The New Dog

Linda Pastan

Into the gravity of my life,
the serious ceremonies
of polish and paper
and pen, has come

 

XIV. A Dog In San Francisco

Michael Ondaatje

Sitting in an empty house
with a dog from the Mexican Circus!
O Daisy, embrace is my only pleasure.
Holding and hugging my friends. Education.
A wave of eucalyptus. Warm granite.
These are the things I have in my heart.
Heart and skills, there’s nothing else.

 

XV. The Dogs At Live Oak Beach, Santa Cruz

Alicia Ostriker

As if there could be a world
Of absolute innocence
In which we forget ourselves