A true story - we owned this dog - I still have his picture.

Kinda hard for me to talk about my dog, Tuffy, we used to call him "Old Tuff",

he was a proud Welsh terrier, finest dog I ever knew.

One day Pa came home with a puppy, cute little brown and black fella,

smart as a whip, brave as a lion, we all loved that little mutt.

Sis and I were out swimmin' at the old swimmin' hole, she swam out too far and got in trouble,

Tuffy swam out, pulled her back to shore, saved her life.

The Hartford Connecticut Fire Department awarded him the Lifesaving Award.

One night our house caught fire, Tuffy barked and woke us all up,

then he ran and pulled the fire alarm with his little teeth,

Chamber of Commerce named him the Outstanding Citizen of the Year.

Then the war came, and Tuffy had to do his patriotic chore,

served in the Marine Corps, in a special intelligence division,

won a Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts, and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Our town gave him a ticker tape parade when he returned home.

Tuffy walked with a limp after the war, and it was painful for him to run,

but the day the child ran out into the street in front of the oncoming car -

Tuffy streaked across the pavement and pushed the child out of the way.

The boy was alright, but Tuffy lost his leg.

Then the Department of Defense announced that Tuffy had been instrumental in winning the war,

due to some special missions he had accomplished.

The president presented him with the National Defense Medal, in a special televised award ceremony.

He grew old,

but cheerfully daily received the hordes of people who made the pilgrimage to see him,

he went blind, but he pranced brightly on his 3 twisted arthritic paws,

until they too failed him.

I would find him bumping around the house and I would pet his mangy body,

avoiding what I knew I must someday do.

Then the day came Tuffy became paralyzed, and I took him to the vet,

and he said that the most humane thing would be to put Tuffy to sleep,

but that it would cost twenty five dollars, and I said:

Twenty five dollars for a dog who saved my family's life?

Twenty five dollars for a dog who broke the Japanese East Winds code?

Twenty five dollars for a dog who remembered the Maine? 

And the vet said: "Well, for fifty cents I'll kick him to death."

And I said: "I'll take it!"