when dogs ran free

so many dogs
on leashes.
when you were a
kid
dogs ran free.
no collars,
no tags,
no shots, just
happy
dogs dodging
cars
and the wagon
that wanted to
take them
away to put
them to sleep.
no one
picked up
their business
with a plastic
bag,
or carried them
around in
baskets
with ribbons
or scarves around
their necks.
no one sent them
to schools
to learn how to
heel, or beg,
or to have their
hair groomed.
dogs were cowboys
riding
the range.
loyal and lean,
often limping
back in the day
when dogs
ran free.