How can we give our cats and dogs their best lives? The answer goes beyond simply providing for their physical needs. Here are my top tips for establishing a happy, healthy relationship with your pet. Before bringing home that adorable puppy or playf

You know it’s a match when the bride and groom agree on an all-animal wedding party. It all began in 2011, when Ryan Phillips switched to a vegan lifestyle to improve his health and developed a passion for ending the suffering of animals farmed as fo

Lifelong animal lover Maria Del Castilho firmly believes in animal rescue. So much so that she became a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in 2020. She has volunteered at a veterinarian’s office in the past and currently has two rescue dogs and two resc

MY HUSBAND AND I adored Brooks, the abandoned golden retriever we adopted at age 11. We had him only a year and were devastated by his death. Still, loving an older dog put a mission in our hearts to rescue senior gold-ens who need forever homes. We

I checked my phone again. Still nothing from my 13-year-old granddaughter, Noelle. Why won’t she return my text messages? I wondered. Noelle—I called her Noe—was my youngest grandchild. From the moment I laid eyes on her as a newborn and she gazed b

It was noon on a Tuesday, and I was in church for the first time in a decade. A friend of mine was sick with cancer, and I wanted to pray for him. But as a lapsed Catholic, I felt self-conscious and out of place praying in the midst of other parishio

‘‘Ready for another animal, Anita?” my brother-in-law asked me, setting down a cardboard box inside my doorway. “This baby raccoon needs a mama.” I pulled back the flap and looked inside. A tiny masked face peered out. “She was wandering around the b

I WAS WATCHING THE MORNING NEWS and a bit worried about the world when I first saw it from my living room window. I reached for my remote, turned off the TV and went outside to get a better look. A spider had built a stunning web between our two rock

With more than 5,500 dives under his belt, marine biologist and photographer Flip Nicklin has given us awe-inspiring glimpses into the world of whales. He fell in love with ocean life at age 14, when he began helping his father, an underwater cinemat

WHEN MY BELOVED dog Shadow passed, I was heartbroken. The night after he died, I had a peculiar dream. In it, 14-year-old Shadow was young again, his fur shiny and tongue lolling. He was in a wide-open, grassy field dotted with yellow flowers and flo

Ever since Brandi Winkleman’s Lab mix, Dodger, was a puppy, he’s had a fascination with the smaller pets in their home. “He loves playing with our rats when they roam freely,” says Brandi. Shy and nervous around people, Dodger is playful with other d

Timber Born with a neurological condition that affects her motor skills, Timber doesn’t let that get in the way of enjoying long walks and playing in sprinklers. Her owner, Christina Powell of Alberta, Canada, advocates for animals with special needs

FUN FACTS: Though sometimes seen during the day, raccoons are nocturnal. They live alone, except for mothers who stay with their young. Raccoons can run as fast as 15 miles per hour and survive a fall from a tree. Known for being expert climbers, rac

FROM COLLEGE CAMPUSES to hospitals, schools and nursing homes, miniature therapy horses Jasper and Oliver lift the mood in any room. The animals’ gentle approach invites people of all ages to connect with them. “You simply won’t find a better icebrea

‘‘I’m back!” my husband, Lynn, announced, shuffling into the kitchen that afternoon in September with his arms full of groceries. “Sooner than I expected,” I said, without looking up from my computer screen. I’d finally hit my stride paying some bill

There was always work to be done on the farm: swathing hay in summer, harvesting in fall, feeding cows in winter. Spring was when my husband, Milton, and I planted our fields with wheat. That meant moving the equipment, hooking up the seeder to the t

As a child, Chris Barnes always wanted to own a horse. “I entered so many essay contests trying to win a horse!” she says. Today, after retiring from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, she volunteers with Therapeutic Horses

OUR NEIGHBORS OWN EMUS. They have a big field filled with wildflowers and bordered by a white picket fence. The emus live in the field, and when people walk by, the birds run over to the fence and stick out their heads. They are friendly and curious

Butterflies are pollinators and natural pest controllers. An important species in the food chain, they are also indicators of a healthy environment and ecosystem. Plus, they are fascinating to observe. With a little planning, you can create a lovely

Our cockapoo Murphy wasn’t the easiest dog. He was grumpy and demanded attention. He would ensconce himself on my lap and refuse to let me stand up. When my husband and I got another cockapoo, Maddy, as a companion for him, he ignored her. Still, Mur

“GOD ALWAYS GIVES YOU what you need when you need it.” Really? Between my demanding days as a preschool teacher and the trials of raising the rambunctious puppy my family had adopted, I had plenty of needs. I could use some help. One morning, I was r

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: TODD PLITT; COURTESY KRISTIN SLADEN; COURTESY GIGI FAVA; COURTESY HILARY RIBONS ■

Not far from the beach in El Granada, California, a small team of artists, led by Jane Kim and Thayer Walker, is designing impressive works at Ink Dwell studio. Their mission is to create art that explores the beauty and complexity of nature by mergi