A year ago today, the boyfriend and I drove an hour to pick up the dog we’d later let our niece name Scarlet.

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The reality of adopting a dog is both exhilarating and terrifying. As I reflect on those first days, I remember the overwhelming feeling of responsibility weigh on me—that I was now in charge of this living being, that I was in charge of keeping her fed and happy and healthy. And she was so unfamiliar to me.

Scarlet was two and a half when we adopted her, a...