My best friend and my witness

CW: pet death

Martha died. She was my dog. I loved her so much. I made the decision to adopt Martha before I met my husband, back when I was living on my own in New York City. I had a lot of friends, but I was also very lonely.

For a long time I’d wanted to get a dog, but I had carried this belief that I shouldn’t do it, shouldn’t tie myself down. Some people would sa…