Pinkerton is my travel buddy and has been all over North America, and has even come to Europe with me. His presence is calming, and when I’m in the midst of a busy season of travel and work, knowing that I’m accountable to his needs and comforts is grounding for me.

He hangs patiently backstage as I work, lies quietly in his carrier when we go to the gym, greets all of my colleagues like old friends, nudges next to me on the bed after a long day. He’s my four-legged support system. He keeps me balanced.

Pink just got home from the hospital with a dozen staples in his back, his back legs immobile, his front paws shaved where the IV lines went in, his beautiful fluffy tail tangled and hanging. Now it’s my turn to be patient with him, to lie quietly next to him on the floor, to change his pads and clean him, to hand feed him his favorite food, chicken.

Pink has been central to my own mental health, and now it’s up to me to be central to his recovery. It’s a role reversal that I relish, and I’m grateful to be able to give him even a fraction of what he’s given me.

Thank you, everyone, for your continued care. When the world turned upside down, having the constancy of Pinkerton was one thing I counted on to keep a sense of stability. I’m just relieved to have him next to me again.