A Tribute to Balto

Balto happened to have been
A German Shepherd,
But he was no ordinary dog.
He enriched
The neighborhood for years
With his antics
And sense of play.
He was a tireless
And somewhat obsessive
Ball fanatic.
He loved to play catch,
Keep away,
Or hide and seek.
He had a tendency
To barge into
The middle of a game,
Particularly soccer,
And become the star
Of the show.
If he couldn’t
Play any other way,
He would steal the ball,
And often both teams
Would end up chasing him
To get the ball back.
He loved maneuvering
Through crowds of players
Challenging them
To a game of keep away.
He lived a royal life
On a ranch in the Ojai Valley
Where he was treated to
Fresh cooked steaks daily,
And the best dog food
Money could buy.
He became something of
A neighborhood celebrity,
And when he got into some
Ground squirrel poison
Somebody had inappropriately placed,
And passed away,
A major funeral was held
In his memory
Which multitudes attended.