Earlier in 2024, the journal Presence (UK) published a haiku of mine about a man and his dog. It seems people enjoy haiku about dogs and puppies as the haiku was subsequently voted among the top 10 in the Best of Issue Award (it actually placed 6th).

The haiku that appeared in Presence was:

his last dog
they wait it out
together

In some ways, this haiku is quite sad. But, at the same time, it’s also a celebration of the bond between dog and human. The deep relationships between ourselves and our canine friends can often provide the basis for a memorable haiku.

Here are a couple of somewhat more playful haiku from the 2017 book Blowing Up Balloons by Vanessa Proctor and myself:

six feet
flopping in puddles
you and puppy

shoes
in
line
by
the
door

the dog sniffs each pair

When I checked my records, I realised I’ve written a number of haiku about dogs over the years. Here are a couple from my collection, breaking my journey, which was published in 2020:

cold front
just a black dog
on the beach

morning walk
the stranger’s dog
knows my scent

Of course, dogs are not only our companions. For centuries, dogs have worked with humans in hunting, farming and fending off danger. They have been working dogs.

keeping my ankles
within striking distance ‒
the drover’s dog

Whether working dogs or not, our four-legged friends are generally well cared for and end up living a very good life.

the dog’s day
one patch of shade
to another

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