Last week, on the 27th of December, I brought home my second shelter dog. Incidentally this was the anniversary of Carrie Fisher's death; I loved her honesty and her relationship to her dog, Gary so it seemed fitting that I brought Pippin home on this day. Pippin is a Pomeranian mix and a little smaller than Delcie but she has made herself at home so quickly. I'm painting her in watercolours with dragonfly wings because she looks like a fairy. As such, she had to have a fantasy-themed name but she was given the name of a hobbit rather than a fairy. I know Pippin is a male but the name sounds feminine and it has some sparkle to it.
I have grown very invested in helping to re-home dogs since I started this journey of adopting new pets. I won't be able to adopt another dog but I was able to share pictures of the ones I couldn't take in, on community groups. One of the larger dogs, Ned was in danger of being put down at a kill shelter. After Christmas and New Year, many dogs are admitted to these shelters and the long-time residents have to be euthanised to make room for incoming dogs. Thankfully someone on the group saw my advert and provided Ned with a new home, which made my heart glad. God answered my prayer.
I am going to paint a series of dog portraits this year. I plan to put them together into a calendar and see if I can't sell them and donate a little to animal shelters next Christmas.
Here is a bonus picture of my two dogs sleeping on the 1st of January.