On Nov. 27, 1997 my mom took me to Northshore Animal Shelter to find a dog. The second we walked in I went right to the puppies. I stood in the doorway and took a quick glance around. Something drew me to this cage in the back of the room. As I looked in there, there was this little black puppy all curled up. I whispered "hello" and she looked into my eyes and I knew this was my dog. I asked to hold her and the second I did, my heart was set. My mother and sister told me to look around a bit before deciding, but I thought to myself, why she is what I want and there would be no use to look around. So we got her. It took an hour-an-half to get home and the whole time she slept on my lap so content and warm. Once we got home I gave her a bath and fed her. It was time for me to pick a name. Scarlett because of the red collar. She was my very best friend, she went everywhere with me and if she couldn't go , I didn't go. I never left her for a sec. Well time went by and I grew older met a man and had a baby girl. My life was perfect. Scarlett knew that we were settled. Five months after my daughter was born, we decided to go away for the day and night and be back in the morning the following day. We got up @ 5:00am got our things together so we could drop Scarlett off at Pop-Pops where she had lived before and spent practically ever day there. Jeff tied her up and I went in the house to get her water and food. I came out put it all in her coop made sure there was shade incase it got hot. I kissed her on her black smooshy nose and told her I Loved Her and would see her tomarrow. We went and dropped our daughter off at my moms and was on our way. We returned to my moms around 1:15am the next morning and asked if we could crash at her house and leave in the morning. I fell asleep and was awoken by my mother handing me the phone and saying it was daddy. I took the phone and said,"Dad?" He was crying and saying, " I'm so sorry Toni, I'm so sorry." I was like, what dad, what? He said Scarlett was "gone". I said,"What she ran away?" He said no, she was dead. He had went out in the morning to check her and feed and water her and didn't see her in the coop so he started calling her and then followed the leash around the backside of her coop where she layed. He sceamed her name but no response. He picked her up yelling and trying to shake her to see if she would wakeup, but she never did. I got to my dads a hour later and was so heartbroken to see my baby girl wrapped in a blanket on her pillow lifeless. She was so beautiful. Her black fur looked and felt like velvit. She was always so energetic and happy to see everyone. She loved the neighborhood kids and anyone who said hello to her. I told her I loved her and would come visit her everyday and no matter what I would never love another like I did her. Jeff and I dug a hole across the yard from her coop. We put her in and covered her up. I made a heart of stones around her today and wrote her name in the middle. And as I sit here today and type I think of how she would lie next to me and just watch with those big brown eyes and those silly ears of hers. Today is the first day I haven't cried but the day is not over. I Love You Scarlett and run free but never forget me for I will see you when my time comes and we will hug again.:)