The dog who froze his tail off

Once on a time, 'midst sand and sun,
there lived dog, Rover, full of fun.
While yet a pup he'd learned to fish
with tail in water – caught all he'd wish.

He caught the big ones and the small.
Caught the fat ones. Caught 'em all.
Into water'd go his tail.
Fish would bite. ("From tail to pail.")

Once that tail went underwater
fishies bit. (They hadn't oughter.)
Rover's tail wagged side to side
and, that, no fishie could abide.

Too many fishies for his food -
they piled up in the neighborhood,
and stink they did, so hot it was.
In red hot heat that's what fish does.

So Rover, smart and up-to-date,
Had a fix-it-contemplate.
“What I need,” he thought at last,
“a great big freezer – arctic blast.”

Delivery day. His freezer came.
Changed complexion of the game.
Now, when fishies were left over,
“Into freezer,” hollered Rover.

No-stink days were here to stay,
and Rover's tail would wag and sway.
All those fishies he could store.
Oops - his tail caught in the door.

Rover cussed and swore a lot.
That didn't get his cold tail hot.
There it was, stuck in the freezer.
That door was a real tail-squeezer.

Rover thought and thought at length.
At last he tugged with all his strength.
The freezer held onto his tail,
but Rover won – no way he'd fail.

Rover now had shorter rump.
Before, a tail, but now a stump.
The frozen fishies took one look -
“It's Rover's tail – his fishing hook.”

And so it went, as life moved on
Rover's tail was not quite gone.
His stump would wiggle. Fish would bite.
His freezer-tail fished day and night.

If you're at Rover's house to feast
watch out for long, thin fish at least.
Rover's old and careless now.
Your fish might be that tail somehow.