Scarlet

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Scarlet was one of those dogs with a story. Some animals are like that. They pass through the human realm and leave something wonderful behind. Dogs are especially inclined to affect us this way, because they are so much in our company. There were many chapters to Scarlet's life, but I only knew about one.

I met Scarlet when she was an older dog, maybe 10, but I heard stories about her from the people I worked with in the Welfare Department, and also from Candace herself, Scarlet's owner. I saw pictures of Scarlet, and it was true, young Scarlet was ridiculously cute. She was carmel colored, a curly cocker spaniel mix, with huge brown eyes that oozed devotion. When she wagged, her whole body wriggled, her ears fluttered, and her toenails twittered on the sidewalk as she did her doggie dance. Of course, everyone loved her. Scarlet went everywhere with Candace. Usually dogs are not allowed in the office, but when Candace came in, Scarlet was greeted happily by all of us, including the director. We had treats for Scarlet at our desks, and doggie toys. In fact, Scarlet got so much attention, Candace might be overlooked, which seemed fine with Candace as she headed out the door with Scarlet, perfectly happy to avoid explaining herself to some dutiful social worker.

Candace was not a street person, though she hung out there a lot. She was not homeless. She had an apartment. At one time, she worked as a clerk at the Welfare Department and was included in the many-roomates houses that the girls in their 20's shared. But somewhere along the line, Candace started to crumble. She spent more and more time alone. She got fat. She had trouble at work. The lives of girls in their 20's are so busy and chaotic that only a few people noticed the changes. Candace went on disability and withdrew into an apartment alone. It was Scarlet who stopped the free-fall for Candace.

Scarlet supposedly had a "bad temperament," or so her owners said when they turned her over to the dog pound. Candace's neighbor was an Animal Rescue volunteer who forced Scarlet on her, "just for a week until we place her." Past the chewing puppy stage, but not yet full grown, Scarlet was a little wild, a little spooked, and in need of some serious grooming. Candace had no idea about what to do with a dog, but she tried, and somewhere between a bath and a walk, she was smitten. When the week was up, Scarlet stayed, and a long period of contentment began for both of them. Candace was no longer odd or tragic. Instead, she was welcome everywhere with her patchwork backpack and her magical dog. Sometimes they seemed a little like Dorothy and Toto, shuffling down the yellow brick road with various eccentric companions at their side. Once they even had their picture in the paper, right on the front page of Section 2.

As it turned out, Scarlett outlived Candace, but that's another story.
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