a voice for the fleas

spot from reusableart.com- PD

No, not seriously.  One would have to be a person of generous moral fiber indeed to speak up for those gritty little pests.  However, I've found a tongue-in-cheek poem by Father John B. Tabb (1845-1909) that imagines someone could:

An Insectarian

"I cannot wash my dog," she said,

"Nor touch him with a comb,

For fear the Fleas upon him bred

May find no other home."

Father John B. Tabb, it turns out, was a son of a prestigious Virginia family who became a Civil War blockade runner, later a Roman Catholic priest, and a popular poet of note. Here's Wikipedia on him.

Giltinan, Helen. The Dinnie-dog Book: Comp. for Dog Lovers. [Philadelphia]: Priv. print. by H. G., 1912.