I'm Adely Mone and this is the Slowdown.

I have a dog that is my life.

She's snoring next to me right now.

She comes with me everywhere, even sleeps on the bath mat while I'm showering.

In May, she turned ten, a fawn pug with a benevolent, dictatorish personality who wins

over everyone she meets.

Though according to her, I haven't gone on long enough.

She is my heart.

Once many years ago, she went missing for about 15 minutes.

That might not sound like a long time, but when your dog is very small and very much

at your heels at all times, it is terrifying.

At the time we lived on a very treacherous corner of an old country road, cars would fly

by on the hairpin curve and there was no shoulder to speak of.

My husband, who was my boyfriend then, had gone out for a run before dinner and I was

terrified she had somehow gotten out and followed him.

Since this story is dramatic, there was a light rain falling.

I ran through the house screaming her name.

I ran outside in the rain screaming her name.

I cried.

I called my husband, who came running back and helped me frantically search for her.

We couldn't for the life of us imagine where she had gone, but suddenly out of desperation,

I opened the cabinet under the sink where we kept the garbage can.

...