For My Dog, Sadie, Will Consider Me

For my dog, Sadie, will consider me.
For I am the servant of my dog, Sadie, and do duly and daily serve her.
For at the first glance of the glory of Sadie in the East, I worship her in every way.
For this I do by stroking her body.
For this I do by playing tug of war with her.
For Sadie runs and rolls and walks with me.
For having done her daily duty and received my adulation, she begins to consider herself.
For this she does by sleeping.
For first she sleeps in the living room.
For secondly she sleeps in the bedroom.
For thirdly she enters the dining room, taps the bell on the door to go outside, and waits for me to let her out.
For fourthly she chases the black squirrels from the bird feeder.
For fifthly she comes back inside and waits for a biscuit.
For sixthly she lets me wash her paws.
For seventhly she allows me lift her onto my lap for a bit of conversation.
For eighthly she stretches out on the couch and blinks at the sun.
For ninthly she waits for dinner to be served.
For tenthly she takes me for another walk, assuming the weather is suitable.
For on occasion, having consider'd me dull, and the walk, uninteresting, she decides to visit the neighbor instead.
For she allows the neighbor to pat and address her with admiration.
For she allows him to offer her his biscuits.
For neighbors and mailmen rarely forget to offer her their biscuits.
For she knows she must have many biscuits to perform her business.
For when her day's work is done, her business of sleeping begins again.
For she is the queen of sleep.
For she sleeps in the darkness and in the glaring light of day.
For she loves the sun and the sun loves her.
For she loves the night and the night loves her.
For she is an instrument of the love of God.
For she is an instrument of divine benevolence.
For she commanded Moses concerning the departure of the Children of Israel from Egypt.
For she is the Messiah.
For every day and house is incomplete without her blessing.
For she blesses the world in her sleep.
For there is nothing sweeter than when she is asleep.

after "For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry"
by Christopher Smart

For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry.
For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him.
For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way.
For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.
For then he leaps up to catch the musk, which is the blessing of God upon his prayer.
For he rolls upon prank to work it in . . .