Greetings from Shoals, Alabama! We managed to escape the state of California, and get safely across the country to arrive in our new home state. We are exhausted, but thrilled to be in a sane location with a sane governor.

I apologize for whiffing last week’s Feel-Good Friday. Apparently, packing and moving an entire house from the west to the east is not for the faint at heart. After pulling a Thursday all-nighter to get our moving trailer packed for pickup the next day and closing out our California rental, I didn’t have a brain cell left to write anything. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail, and in terms of the writing, I did the former.

But now that I am not in a moving vehicle with dogs on my lap, and caught up on sleep, this Friday, it is full steam ahead! In honor of escaping the big city to become a part of a small community, this week’s Feel-Good Friday is going to the dogs—one in particular, and the community that got to know him, love on him, and got a chance to say goodbye.

From the Miami Herald:

A dog named Mellow took his final walk around his Pennsylvania neighborhood, and the pup’s neighbors turned out in a big way.

The final walk was organized by Kevin Curry, whose dog was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. Curry said in a letter that went in neighbor’s mailboxes that Mellow would be dying in June.

That must have been extremely difficult. Saying goodbye is never easy, especially to a beloved pet who we get to love on for such a short time. Our little Maddie is 14 years old, and hanging tough, but the next vet visit could render bad news. One of her favorite things is being on the floor of a moving car, so she was in heaven on our road trip across the country. If her time to leave us is sooner rather than later, we’re glad we gave her that cool experience. I am sure Kevin Curry was grateful to be able to give Mellow this last memory.

Curry walked his dog twice a day — “rain, snow or shine” — and he and Mellow became familiar faces with many people in the Dupont neighborhood. So when it came time for Mellow’s final walk, Curry wanted to make sure neighbors got to say their goodbyes.

“I will be marching around the neighborhood on Saturday, June 3 from 7-8PM and would love to say goodbye to you face-to-face if you are available,” Curry wrote in the letter on Mellow’s behalf. “Come out to pat me on the head or rub my belly and I will be forever grateful (I love people after all).”

The letter said the neighbors had made Mellow’s life “so much richer than any rescue dog could have hoped for.”

And turn out they did. Neighbor KJ Warunek documented the celebration on her Facebook page and in a post on Dogspotting Society’s Facebook. Dupont is a borough in the city of Pittston, Pennsylvania. From their website, they claim a population of 2,711. Here is the beauty of living in a small town environment—you get that small town attention and community love.

We now live in a walkable neighborhood, so we very much look forward to sharing our three fur babies with the community. Because she’s an old girl, Maddie will be in tow via her wagon.

As for sweet Mellow, this goodest of good boys is now resting well after a goodbye fitting for an animal that brought such joy to his owner—and so many others.