Posted on by kimhaynesjohnson

For I Will Consider My Schnoodle Ollie – The Stafford Challenge Day 47, Slice of Life Challenge Day 3

Special thanks to Two Writing Teachers for inspiring writers to write each day!

Several years ago, I led a poetry workshop for teachers in my district using Mary Oliver’s Dogsongs as our text, inviting participants to write mirror poems inspired by the late great poet. One of my favorite poems in this collection is For I Will Consider My Dog Percy, which she wrote about her own dog following the form of Christopher Smart in the 1700s in his poem Jubilate Agno, or For I will Consider My Cat Jeoffry.

L-R: Fitz, Ollie, and Boo Radley in February 2024

Over the years, we have adopted several rescues, and they appear frequently in my writing. They’re all named after favorite Literary figures. We have Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, because he was abandoned and found behind a door, an outcast of his original people. His rescue organization named him Einstein for his matted and untamed hair when he was found. I wrote a For I Will Consider poem about my Schnoodle, Boo Radley.

We also adopted a badly-abused (mostly Schnauzer, but some poodle) Schnoodle named Henry at the time, who had road rash and a broken leg that required surgery to save and eight weeks of intense physical therapy with his foster mom. We followed his journey back to health online, and prayed they would place him with us. When the news came, we eagerly met the foster mom and welcomed Henry into the fold, renaming him Fitz for F. Scott Fitzgerald, the party animal author. Turns out, he’d been correctly named as transcendental Henry David Thoreau, because he doesn’t party. Here is a poem I wrote about my Schnoodle, Fitz.

Which brings me to King. He was a young stray found on the streets of north Georgia, and he was supposed to be our girl. I’d put in a request with the rescue about a year prior to welcoming King, but the rescue called one day to let me know that they had a Schnoodle who met all the matching criteria as a good adoptee for us….except gender. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to meet this boy who needed a home but who had been turned down by two other families. It only took seconds. King was renamed Ollie for my favorite poet, Mary Oliver, and rode home with us that very day we’d hopped in the car for the 3 hour drive to meet him.

I’ve never written a For I Will Consider poem about Ollie, so today is the day especially set aside for my trophy dog we call the baby..

For I Will Consider My Schnoodle Ollie

For I will consider my schnoodle Ollie.

For he was a young stray running the streets, a real canine gangsta.

For he was named King like royalty, taken to a foster castle.

For he was rescued, brought to our Funny Farm with his one true love: a ball.

For he was renamed Ollie after Mary, who loved dogs through and through.

For he needs no bells and whistles when simple will do.

For he realized all too soon he had brothers vying for position. 

For he rejected all possibility of being low dog.

For he rose like a king to the throne.

For we call him the baby.

For he eats sheets.

For he listens for empty K-cup boxes to hit the floor....(for he eats those too).

For he bites ankles and eats Ada Limon poetry books.

For he places one paw on the head of his brothers (sibling annoyance tactic? or knighting?).

For there is no such thing as a quick pee when there are things to see.

For he "kicks" the ball with his nose like a gauntlet at our feet.  Throw, he commands.

For he catches popcorn mid-air.

For he fully belongs in our tribe.

For we whisper to him:  you're the best dog we've got.  

For he returns our love with royal full-face kisses.

27 Replies to “For I Will Consider My Schnoodle Ollie – The Stafford Challenge Day 47, Slice of Life Challenge Day 3”

  2. Beautiful. I need to reread Dogsongs and then try out this mirror. I love this tribute to Ollie/King. I particularly love how it feels like it’s rolling to the ending, picking up speed with that whispered line that the other pups can’t be allowed to hear. We only have our one rescue, but he commands a lot of attention, having arrived at our house just days before the shutdown in 2020.

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  3. Kim, your dog-loving heart sings strongly through your poems. Your practice of naming dogs based on literary characters and authors is wonderful. If I ever get to have another dog, I will adopt your style. Love it!

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  4. Kim, Stanley is by my side tho king about the poems I’ll write about him and hoping they’re as good as this beautiful tribute to Ollie who eats poetry, which made me giggle, and who eats sheets, too. Yikes! Those are more expensive than replacing a poetry book. I always love seeing your fur babies. Mine will make appearances, too. Pet and kiss each precious face for me, and don’t forget to brush their teeth!

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    1. Glenda, consider them kissed and hugged, and thank you for sharing the joy of dogs. Stanley is blessed to be part of your family. I wish all dogs could be as loved and wanted, and our stories of our pets gives me hope. Truth: Ollie eats the best poetry books. This boy knows.

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  5. Oh. my goodness – three sweet faces – for everyone to love. I’m partial to Boo Radley because he was my favorite character, when as an adolescent, I read To Kill a Mockingbird over and over again. Thank you for this tribute. This is what is important in life.

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  7. Your poem is just wonderful, and that line about him being a gangsta running the streets creates such a strong contradiction to the sweet face(s) that inspire your writing!

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  9. Kim, I love this so much. I miss my Charlie every day and am afraid to get another dog because he was so good. Ollie and Charlie would have played ball all day long. What a special way to capture his personality. Mary would be proud!

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    1. Thank you, Margaret! I know that you must still be so grieved over Charlie, and I understand your reluctance to get another dog. You’ll know if/when that time is ever right. Guess what I ordered that came in today? Your book recommendation Welcome to the Wonder House. It’s magical. I am thinking of using it during April since we have so many poetry writing plans here in my town. Thank you for sharing it. I’m falling in love with the illustrations, and the colors are so calming.

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  10. Hi, Kim. It’s good to reconnect. This is an awesome post. You provided strong background and your poem was amazing. I feel like I know Ollie and he sounds like quite a character. Thanks for sharing this structure. I may give it a try.

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  11. Precious dogs! Precious poem! I love that “his one true love: a ball.” and that he eats sheets and Ada Limon poetry – he is a fun personality. I feel so much love resonating throughout every line of your poem. I do not have dogs, but a friend’s dog died recently and she was truly soothed by Mary Oliver’s Dogsongs. Beautiful!

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  12. Kim, the poem is an absolute joy to read – that Ollie! His personality and your love for him shine through every line. I am hard-out to pick a favorite but I love how you whisper to him that he’s the best dog. I adore all your dog stories and the accompanying photos. I want to baby them all. I shall have to try a For I Will Consider poem.

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