Travels with Charlie

Travels with Charlie

The plan was to visit my sister
who lived on the coast: Oregon.
Of course I was taking old Charlie
who agreed with a snort and a yawn.

Now, Charlie’s my friend and companion
and spry – for an old Basset Hound.
He spends most of his time lying down
‘cause his ears drag. He’s close to the ground.

He’s not what you’d call a big talker,
he’s quiet but has a big heart.
His responses are mostly just grunts,
a snore, or the sound of a fart.

Unlike Charlie, I am O-C-D
so I always check everything twice.
As I run through my final checklist,
his snores are his offered advice.

“I need to just check with the airlines,
confirm that we’re both getting on.”
With a grin, I nudged at his ribs,
“Guess tomorrow you’ll be a dog gone!”

At this, Charlie raised up his head
and he peered at me like I’m a fool.
While I never learned how to read tea leaves,
I’m an expert at reading his drool.

Well, I called and I spoke to the agent
so my readiness I could then gauge.
“You’re all set,” was his cheerful response.
“Just remember to bring Charlie’s cage.”

“We’ll make sure he has plenty of water,
but, here’s what you should understand:
Make sure it has plenty of room,
to allow him to sit, turn, and stand.”

After a long lengthy silence,
the agent asked, “Are you still there?”
“I’m afraid that I will have to cancel,”
I wailed with a note of despair.

“I thought I had everything planned out,”
I continued, my voice filled with sorrow.
“But there’s no way that I can begin
to teach him those tricks by tomorrow!”

An entry for "The PET NEWS CONTEST" 
Prompt: OPEN prompt for February
Line Limit: 40
Line Count: 40