Adopting Latte was the day he officially became our youngest family member. Our son, who had begged for a dog for years, was his inseparable shadow. When the time came for our son to leave for boarding school, the house felt emptier than ever. Seeing both him and Latte miss each other deeply, I knew I had to bridge the distance. I decided to have a custom leather portrait of Latte made — a small, intricate carving that captured his soulful eyes and the little white patch on his paw. The night before my son left, I gave it to him. "So Latte can watch over you at school," I told him. He held it tightly, his eyes a little brighter. Now, the leather Latte hangs by his dorm room window. In our video calls, he sometimes shows it to me, and even to the real Latte barking at the screen. It ’ s more than a carving; it ’ s a silent companion, a piece of home, and a steady reminder that family is always with you, no matter how many miles apart.
