Joe Scarlata had never had a dog and had no plans of ever having one in his family. That was before November 10, 2010. The Scarlata family was returning from an evening church service when they noticed a beautiful white boxer in the road with cars driving around her. The Scarlatas put her in the car and drove her home. Joe was immediately smitten by the well-behaved, house-broken girl. After serious efforts to find her owners, Lady officially became a Scarlata.
They are a loving and playful young family, and Lady fit right in! If the humans danced around the house, she would get right in and dance with them. She enjoyed a good game of ‘chase around the table’ as the kids ran and giggled. Yet she had a submissive spirit that allowed the family to dress her up and give her baths – even though she really did not enjoy baths.
Lady’s grandpa would pick her up and cradle her on his lap like a baby – She would happily lie with him until he was ready to put her down. Lady could be quite the homebody who loved basking in the sunshine and digging a cool spot in the dirt to cool down if it got too hot. And the winter was oh-so-wonderful when it snowed and she could race the family sled down a hill. She loved being in photos and accompanying her family on hikes to Pisgah Forest, Fawn Lake and the Carl Sandburg property.
Her mom Charlene remembers:
“Even though we didn’t know Lady’s true birthday, we celebrated her every year on the day we found her. One year we decided to make a dog-friendly cake. The kids loved the cake and especially enjoyed eating it with their dog. We have a ton of great memories with her as well as photos and videos. Letting go of her is one of the most difficult things we have had to do.”
Lady said goodbye to her family on September 7th. She is survived by her mom and dad, Charlene and Joe; human-siblings, Kayla, Javan, Jael, Noah and Leah; and her kitty, Kitty.
“As much as we hurt, we are thankful to the Lord for being our joy-giver and allowing us the joy of enjoying our dog for the time we had her.” The Scarlata Family
Memorials may be donated to Blue Ridge Humane Society in Lady’s memory