Tiffany Painter

The first half of November has been tough. The entire world watched as we elected a new leader. There are so many things that can be said about that, but for me, it’s been challenging for an additional reason. A dog was adopted from the local animal shelter into my family. My son picked a dog that was scared and had been overlooked by other potential families for months. He knew it would take time to earn this dog’s trust, but he was prepared to do whatever he could to give this dog a fresh start and a happy home. Unfortunately, the dog let his fear dictate his actions and he ran away. For three days the entire family searched, hung posters, joined social media groups, and made phone calls. As the election took center stage for the rest of the world, a community of strangers came together to bring home a lost dog. People I didn’t know were spreading the word and contacting us with potential dog sightings. They were offering suggestions to help us find our dog. They were out searching the neighborhoods. When we got the call that our lost dog had been found after he was hit by a car, the animal control officer who brought him to the animal hospital was so concerned that she tracked my son down the following day to follow up on this dog. During the dog’s long stay at the hospital, a volunteer from the animal shelter came to visit him because she heard what had happened. Two weeks after adopting him, our dog is finally home. He is facing a long recovery, but he is surrounded by love, both from his family and a community of strangers who just wanted to save this one dog. And he trusts his new family and enjoys a good long neck rub.

11/6

cold morning wake up
warm sun has been extinguished
new world today

11/7

sometimes all you need
gentle weight of peacefulness 
curled up on you

11/10

golden shades of fall
mixes with winter’s first show
highlights mountain peaks

11/12

some things stay the same
geese still fly south for winter
enjoy the lake rest

11/16

when there’s a new pup
getting all the attention
just going to pout