This is the second in a series of stories written by young people. Writing encourages children to explore their relationship with a pet and works to strengthen the human-animal bond. After all, today’s youth are tomorrow’s pet owners.

Stories have not been edited for spelling or grammar. Each story belongs wholly to its author.

Mia’s Tale

Author: Laityn, age 11

When I was 5 years old I got one of my favorite dogs, her name was Mia. She was a white tiny maltese, and she was so playful, and cuddly. Mia always made everyone smile, and I loved her very much.

The day I got Mia I remember holding her the whole way home from Alabama. When we got home, Mia and I played with all of her toys. I knew then she was going to be one of the best dogs ever!

I grew up with Mia and we started to become even closer. We played all day, and night. When we started to get tired, we would go sit on my couch and watch my favorite tv show Cailou. If we were tired enough, sometimes she would even fall asleep on my lap.

One day my family was going to eat out at lunch. We left Mia outside when we left because we have a large fence all around my yard. When we left for lunch Mia was perfectly fine. When we came back we called, and called for her. She never came! Our family looked all around the yard, our neighborhood, and she was still nowhere to be found. We put up lost dog signs and waited for what seemed like forever! Mia was still missing.

After about a week our family finally realized that Mia was gone. It was one of the worst feelings I have ever felt. I still wonder today what happened to Mia. She will always have a special place in my heart, and I will never forget the time of my life that I spent with her.

Laityn is the cutie in the sled. This is the family’s last photo of Mia.

Laityn’s mother told me Mia was just two-years-old when she went missing. “We currently have 2 other Maltese,” she added, “and neither goes outside alone.  We learned our lesson.”

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To learn more about this series, including how a young person you know can contribute his or her own story and perhaps have it published, click here.