Lost & Found

Lost & Found is a coming-of-age memoir centered around the first-person narrator Amber’s relationship with her dog Buddy. Months after six-year-old Amber and her family go through the loss of her maternal grandmother her parents surprise Amber and her two younger siblings by gifting them a puppy on Christmas Day. Amber struggles through her faltering belief in religion being raised Catholic, and witnessing cracks form in the foundation she once considered solid. She encounters the joys and pains of growing up as Buddy offers all the unwavering love and support he can muster as an eight-pound miniature poodle mix. He is an intelligent dog who never loses his spark even as he ages. Buddy bullies her for treats and diligently keeps guard while she naps. Amber gets confirmed in the Catholic church, cementing her uncertainty of the faith she was raised with. After fourteen years together, Buddy passes away in Amber’s arms a few short months after she moves away from home to go to college. This brings the realization that Buddy was her protector more than she ever was his. Dreams of Buddy bring Amber solace as she works to finish getting her degree with him no longer by her side. Life can be difficult, scary, fun, and confusing, but Buddy creates a sense of emotional stability that no human or religion offers. His life is so closely intertwined with Amber’s that through her relationship with him, she can examine her relationship with herself.