September/October 2020

All Creatures

The Animals Who Share Our Lives

All Creatures2 min read
Editor’s Note
NOTHING BRINGS ME greater calm than observing my golden, Gracie, sleep. Talk about mindfulness. It puts me right in the moment. Sometimes I’ll align my breathing with hers. Sometimes I think our brain waves actually synchronize. At any rate, if I wat
All Creatures1 min read
All Creatures
Editorial Director & Vice President Edward Grinnan Executive Editor Amy Wong Creative Director Kayo Der Sarkissian Managing Editor Megan Troise Art Director Gigi Fava Photo Editors Kristin Sladen, Kevin Eans Copy Editor and Production Coordina
All Creatures1 min read
Unexpected Friends Lundy And Herman
At the Mia Foundation in Rochester, New York, Sue Rogers takes in animals with birth defects. The nonprofit rescue has seen its share of cats and dogs, but it is also home to a pigeon named Herman. “He can’t fly,” Rogers says. “I want him to have enr
All Creatures1 min read
Peaceable Kingdom
The rustling of leaves under the feet in woods and under hedges; The crumpling of cat-ice and snow down wood-rides, narrow lanes, and every street causeway; Rustling through a wood or rather rushing, while the wind halloos in the oak-toop like thunde
All Creatures1 min read
Paw Prints News, Expert Advice, Fun Facts And More
Our beagle boy finds the sunny spot in any room. —David T. He relaxed after our guests left on New Year’s Eve. —Cindy Wortman She naps like this often, always near me. —Merriehelen Myrvold She requires several “lap naps” daily. —Sandy Gardne
All Creatures1 min read
I’ll Never Forget You
NOT LONG AFTER my husband, Ed, and I got married 38 years ago, we adopted two kittens, Sam and Nicky. They lived long, happy lives. In their memory, we put up a monument in our backyard with bricks bearing their names and the years they’d lived. Even
All Creatures2 min read
Going Beyond
LAST YEAR Lyndze Smoot spotted a blessing box in her hometown of Jackson, Kentucky—a small wooden structure that serves as a food pantry. People are encouraged to take what they need and donate when they can. Lyndze loved the idea. “It hit me that so
All Creatures2 min read
Should I Be Worried?
My 12-year-old Labrador seems disoriented sometimes and will bark for no reason. Is this normal for an older dog? —Allison P. At 12, a dog’s age can be equivalent to that of a 72- to 90-year-old person. In general, large-breed dogs age faster a
All Creatures1 min readCats
Calendar
Do you know when your pet is hurting? Columnist Peggy Frezon details the signs to look for (page 46). The patron saint of animals always felt closest to God’s creatures, and they remained by his side until his very last breath (page 34). Celebrate ca
All Creatures5 min read
On Purple Wings
Six perfectly shaped gourds lay before me, spread out on the grass of my backyard. I’d grown them myself and harvested them carefully. Now it was time to turn these fruits into the perfect houses for my favorite birds—purple martins. I cut a round do
All Creatures5 min read
Eat, Purr, Love
The idea may have started in Taiwan, but there are now about 100 cat cafés in the U.S., including Ohio’s first, Eat Purr Love. The Columbus café offers creative ways for humans and cats to interact and hopefully pair up forever. We talked to Brittany
All Creatures1 min read
Their Mysterious Ways
THIS IS A STORY OF TWO HORSES, one a jet-black mare named Midnight—some would call her a devil horse—and the other, my favorite, a gentle six-year-old palomino named Amber. Shortly after my husband, John, had bought Midnight, I went outside to work w
All Creatures3 min read
Dragonfly Season
The insects live underwater, wondering what exists above. One brave bug offers to climb the lily pad and report back. He makes his way up the stalk, breaks the surface and feels the sun’s warmth. Suddenly his body is transformed into a beautiful four
All Creatures2 min read
GRACIE HAMLIN W-Underdogs, Georgia
Gracie Hamlin is the type of woman who doesn’t just hope for a better world—she makes it happen. An Army veteran who later lost a job due to injury, Gracie has always had a heart for the underdog. Hence the name of her Atlanta nonprofit, W-Underdogs,
All Creatures2 min read
Show And Tell…and Learn
ONE DAY MY 14-YEAR-OLD SON, Connor, came home from school and said, “Mom, we had the best show-and-tell ever!” He proceeded to tell me quite the story. His friend Austin had brought his pet lizard, Mr. T, to science class. Austin kept the Argentine t
All Creatures4 min read
The Man Who Preached to the Birds
It’s not hard to understand why Francis of Assisi is every animal lover’s favorite saint. He preached to the birds. He calmed the wolf that menaced the Italian town of Gubbio (or so the story goes). He would stop and pick up worms on the road out of
All Creatures2 min read
Creature Comforts
IT HAD BEEN 23 DAYS since the statewide shelter-in-place order was issued and schools closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was worried about our eight-year-old son, Isaac. He’s an extremely outgoing kid, and having no one to play with was getti
All Creatures5 min read
The Miracle Worker
Mornings in our household start with breakfast—for everyone. The gerbils, rabbits, goats, ponies, horse, chickens included. It’s a big job, but it goes quickly when you have help. My 10-year-old daughter, Iris, loves feeding the animals. She comes wi
All Creatures3 min read
Last Moments
MY MOM BACK HOME in Georgia called me in Arizona to tell me that my childhood horse, Dollie, had had to be put down. She was old, and the vet suspected a brain tumor. Dollie grew up with me; she carried me down wooded trails and listened to my teenag
All Creatures3 min read
Is This for Real?
You’ve heard Mother Goose stories. How about a heartwarming Father Goose story? Once upon a time…well, one spring day in 2014, Mike Jivanjee was boating on Lake Oswego, near Portland, Oregon, with friends when they spotted a tiny Canada gosling in th
All Creatures2 min read
Is Your Pet in Pain?
Recently my three-year-old golden retriever, Petey, was licking his paw. He ran around and seemed fine otherwise, so I didn’t think much of it. But after I noticed him licking again and again, I took a closer look. It turned out he had a badly broken
All Creatures1 min read
Color Me!
FUN FACTS: Geese typically choose partners that share their physical characteristics. They mate for life, which decreases stress for the birds. Goslings can walk or swim one to two days after birth and stay with their family for up to a year. Flying

All Creatures

More Issues From All Creatures