One time on a trip

my dad stopped at a convenience store

(we called them ice houses back then)

to get some drinks and gas

and there was a dog running around loose

looking for scraps and attention

I was just a kid

along for the ride but

I got to playing with that dog

and petting it and talking to it

It was such a friendly dog

When it came time to go

I begged my dad to let me keep that dog 

Believe it or not, he said Yes

(I think mom may have influenced the decision) 

And so...I opened the car door

and in hopped the dog

I was so happy to have that old stray dog

I named him Sandy because of his color

he was wild and untrained

and slobbered all over everything

but there was such joy in that dog

he had found a home

and he became a true friend to me

the best friend a boy could ever have.