Scarlett

When I first saw Scarlett's picture, I knew I had to foster her. The poor girl had several large mast-cell tumors hanging from her body and was severely emaciated and anemic. What was so amazing though is that in spite of it all she was happy and her tail was constantly wagging.

Once she gained some weight and was no longer quite so anemic, the tumors were removed. We were told that Scarlett would need to be on medication for the rest of her life and that the tumors would likely come back. It was also possible the cancer had started to spread internally. I knew then that I couldn't let her go.

I was lucky enough to have Scarlett with me for five months before she lost the battle. Scarlett died Oct. 26, 2004, exactly four weeks after her foster brother, Jake. It means so much to me that I was able to be with her and tell her how much I loved her in the end.

Scarlett was very special to me and I miss her terribly. She quickly won the hearts of all the people she met -- a testament to what a sweetie she was. Hopefully she and Jake are together, running and playing pain free once again.

Debbie Lon and family