RANDOLPH COUNTY, Indiana ‒ When more than 650 children descended on the local 4-H fair last summer to show livestock and exhibit projects, the grounds looked a little grander than in years past.

I didn’t understand this about myself until my dog got sick. It was the first time I had to sit on the kitchen floor at 1 a.m., one hand on his ribcage, counting breaths. The house was silent except ...