Mother Doesn't Want a Dog (Judith Viorst)

Okay, so this doesn't quite fit the bill. But, hey, it is about dogs and even better it's relatively short and funny too. I don't know the poet, but the poem kind of reminds me of Shel Silverstein with the rhyme, the misdirection.

Every stanza begins the same. It's got that rhythm inherent. That repetition mimics the mother's words. No, no, no. The humor derives from the surprise that N went ahead and subverted the mother's words and got a different, more terrifying pet.

Favorite line: "Mother doesn't want a dog./She's making a mistake.'