All day, we are accosted by stories like “The stock market tanks,” “Australia is on fire” and “Venice is underwater.” In a world where stories like these are the headlines at the epicenter of our lives, maintaining a positive outlook on life can be hard. Let’s face it, when headlines that incite negativity are the only ones we hear about, it can be hard not to be negative as a result. Especially given the current outbreak of COVID-19 that has afflicted our well-beings, we are all in need of hearing some good news. In order to brighten up your day, here are some current events that, indisputably, qualify as good news.

This first piece of good news, although it is a bit untimely, is way too adorable not to share. On March 3, Super Tuesday, the primary elections were not the only important elections to take place. In fact, Fair Haven, Vermont also elected their new mayor that day. A mayor, who is in fact a three-year-old puppy named Murfee. I don’t exactly understand the logistics of how a puppy is running the town of Fair Haven, but I do know that last year, a goat named Lincoln held the office of the Mayor of Fair Haven, according to this CNN article. In light of all the uncertainty in the world right now, knowing about Murfee, who happens to be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (the same breed as the dog from “Lady and the Tramp”), might just be the type of news we were all in desperate need of hearing. Because let’s face it, all we want right now is to hear some fun, easy-going, good news.

In other animal-related good news, pet adoptions have spiked. Possibly now that everyone has gone indoors for the foreseeable future, in some cases due to statewide shutdowns, shelters needed to find homes for their animals. Luckily, all across the nation, people responded and adopted pets, with one nationwide nonprofit animal shelter, the Best Friends Animal Society, seeing a 240 percent in potential foster parents for their rescues. See this article for more.

Rounding out what is so far a completely dog-focused edition of The Good News is the story of Cole, the certified therapy dog of Mennies Elementary School in Vineland, New Jersey. Since the school had to close down in light of the coronavirus, Cole had to go home with his owner. But, Cole’s owner decided to pay visits to any students who needed to ease some of their anxiety in these strange times. Maintaining social distancing regulations, Cole’s owner drove through the school’s district and delighted students with drive-by visits.

Straying away from dog-themed good news comes this story of a newspaper deliveryman in Cranbury, New Jersey. He began to leave a note with his deliveries that offered to do grocery shopping, free of any extra charge, for anyone finding it difficult to leave the house and get everyday necessities. For some of his customers who are unable to leave their houses at this time, this grocery drop of service has been a blessing. It is definitely good news to hear of someone going out of their way to, well, do good for the world. See this story for more.