I tried google and found a link with someone else looking for it, she had a little more:

Saint Bernard Sally
from Orphan Dog Alley
Was weary of being alone.
"Woof" she would wail
with a droop of her tail
"I wish I had folks of my own"

But seems not the whole thing, sorry.

Thanks Astrokath. I had done the same thing, and feel that her memory of the second verse is not the way I learned it.
And yes, there is more to it.
I saved that link, just in case it got an answer.

I am prompted to find the poem, because a friend just lost her dear dog, and I thought the poem may help cheer her.

I gave all my son's childhood books to my 3 granddaughters( his daughters). They live too far away for me to check and see if they have the book with that poem in it. :-(

I have the original book. Do you still want to know? I know it continues "Off she would hike, to Travellers Pike, where she'd patiently wait at the bend..."

There's all the stories, "Tis Mince, Taint Mince" "Bumbershoot Wind" etc.

nbrenner i would love to have the full poem if you have it please !

Yes, I would like to have all of it also.

This is an old thread, but I was hoping for more info too. Here's what I remember: Saint Bernard Sally from Orphan Dog Alley was tired of being alone. Woof, she would wail, with a droop of her tail. I wish I had folks of my own. Each day she would hike to Traveler's Pike, and patiently wait at the bend. When people came by she wished she could cry: a dog is a person's best friend. But nobody took her, they'd all overlook her, for a cuddly cat they might find. It was Sally's bad luck to be big as a truck - she wasn't the cuddly kind.
I remember that she rescued young Tommy from the snowy hills and got to sleep at the foot of his bed, but that's it. If NBrenner still has that book, I'd sure love a copy of the poem!

Saint Bernard Sally from orphan dog alley was weary of being alone. "Woof" she would wail with a wag of her tail I wish I had people of my own. Each day she would hike to travellers pike and patiently wait on the bend, and wen people came by she wishes she could cry "a dog is a person's best friend". But nobody took her they all overlooked her, the cuddly cats they might find. T'was Sally's bad luck to be big as a truck, she was not the cuddly kind. then one wintery day young Tommy O'Shea got lost in the neighbouring hills. A serch party went out to search all about the snow covered ridges and rills. They came home that night in a terrible plight young tommy just could not be found. This job ventured Sally is right up my alley and off she went with a bound. Up up and up climbed the over-sized pup just like her grand daddy Percy who went on ventures like this in the land of the Swiss and was known as the Angel Of Mercy. Sally stopped for a sit and yodelled a bit "a little ol la ah de who" then sally heard a small voice calling "mummy" then Sally returned a hero with Toomy riding on her back just like his little pet horse. Tommy's parents gave her a home and she sleeps at the foot of Tom's bed. That is all I can remember from the Read Aloud book. can anyone fill in the gaps please?

Many thanks, Martyn.

I have done a search and found some more details on www.worldcat.org which lists this poem as St. Bernard Sally by Frances B. Watts and gives publication details so possibly that Read Aloud book may still be obtained.

You may have already got this sorted but this thread has been going for a while!

The poem is charming. I have a 15" nose to tail St. Bernard stuffed toy, made in France, he even wears a brandy flask! I rescued him from a pile of discarded toys in a charity shop. My great-grandchildren enjoy playing with him when they drop in.

Thanks for this, but I have still been unable to see the whole poem. Any chance you would be kind enough to type it into this thread?

Annpanagain, I suspect that the library which once held it no longer has it, as I cannot currently find it on WorldCat.

Martyn, Annpanagain did not actually have the book herself. She just saw a listing for a library which had it on their shelves. Unfortunately, most libraries do not keep most of the books they buy. When people stop checking them out, the library staff remove them to make room for the newer books people want to read now.

I found it via World Cat, at a Mississippi library, which verified that the poem by Frances B Watts is in the contents, and you're in luck: The book title is "Read-Aloud Stories from Child Life" and there is a current listing on ebay that includes it. Good luck!

Stories to Read Aloud Ebay Listing

Thank you Donna! I have ordered the book.

Donnamira, I am impressed with your search skills. Even believing it had to be there I could not find it. Eventually going back in I pulled it up with "bernard sally" and audience Juvenile. But that is hindsight at work.

I used google, trying various combinations of “read aloud,” “frances B. watts,” and “St Bernard Sally,” and eventually the WorldCat page showed up that specified the title, authors, and table of contents, and year published as a “Read-Aloud Wonder Book,” which made it easy to find on eBay. So you can see that without AnnPan’s initial work, we would not have gotten there! Working in a group project isn’t always futile. :)

a 12 year old thread ???

Well the original poster seems to have moved on, but the person from three years ago seems quite interested!

Still waiting for the full text. Anyone out there got it yet? If so can we see it?

I’ve got a few years. Now I need to know the rest as well.

Martyn, once you have the book, perhaps you would be kind enough to type it in. I'm sure many of us would enjoy seeing it.

Rose, I'll see what I can do. I have been Atlantic hopping recently and while in Boston I ordered the book for my 2 year old nephew who lives there with his parents. However, I have asked my brother-in-law to scan the poem and email it to me in England. But the book is not due to be delivered to them until late in January. I am certainly looking forward to seeing it again after about 55 years.

Well, the book was still for sale on eBay, so I picked it up. Let's see if I can paste the story here:

St. Bernard Sally, by Frances B. Watts

St Bernard Sally from Orphan Dog Alley
Was weary of being alone.
Woof! She would wail, with a droop of her tail,
“I wish I had folks of my own!”

Each day she would hike to Traveler’s Pike
And patiently wait in the bend.
When people came by, she wished she could cry,
“A dog is a person’s best friend!”

But nobody took her. They’d all overlook her
For the cuddly cats they might find.
‘Twas Sally’s bad luck to be big as a truck.
She wasn’t the cuddly kind.

Then one wintry day, young Tommy O’Shea
Got lost in the neighboring hills.
A posse went out to search all about
The snow-covered ridges and rills.

But they came home at night in a terrible plight.
Young Tommy just couldn’t be found!
“This job,” ventured Sally, “is right up my alley!”
And off Sally went with a bound.

“Well, well,” thought the dog, as she plowed through a bog,
“I’m just like my Granddaddy Percy,
Who made rescue like this in the land of the Swiss
And was known as an angel of mercy!”

Up, up and up climbed the oversized pup,
Sniffing the ground for a clue.
Then she’d patiently sit and yodel a bit,
“A little-ole-lay-ah-de-who!”

“I do hope he hears!” said the dog through her tears.
(She was feeling sorry for Tommy.)
Then, over the trees on the crest of a breeze,
She heard a wee voice calling “Mommy!”

She found the poor child in the deep wooded wild,
Where he’d haplessly strayed from his course.
“Hurrah!” Sally cried, “I’ll give him a ride!
I’ll pretend I’m his little pet horse.”

Then how the folks cheered, when Sally appeared
In Tommy O’Shea’s crowded yard.
‘The dog found the boy!” they shouted with joy.
“Hurrah, for that brave St. Bernard!”

Nowadays Sally has left Orphan Dog Alley.
She has a nice family instead.
She spends all her days with the grateful O’Sheas,
And sleeps at the foot of Tom’s bed.

“I’m glad,” Sally sighs, as she closes her eyes,
“I’m the kind on whom people depend.
I can’t tell the folks so, but now they all know –
A dog is a person’s best friend!”

donnamira, thanks so much for posting the poem. I had never heard of it but followed this thread because I love dogs and wanted to read the entire poem. Love it!!!

Hi folks, I am so glad that it has appeared. I did get the scan through a short while ago, but have not had a chance to type it in yet. My mother used to read this poem to me when I was about 3 years old. I am now 64, a biologist and still think it is a wonderful poem. Please read it to as many children as you can so that it lives on!

P.S. I have now written a book of my own about a British bird called "The Blue Tit". It also has a chapter (5) on poetry, including one poem by William Wordsworth (1888), also folklore concerning this bird, if anyone out there is interested? It can be ordered online and is published by T & AD Poyser which is an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. Best wishes to all poetry fans!