November/December 2020

All Creatures

The Animals Who Share Our Lives

All Creatures2 min read
Editor’s Note
NOW THAT EDWARD GRINNAN has moved on to other projects, I’m taking over writing this editor’s note—something I would never have imagined I’d be doing just a few years ago. I had been an editor at Guideposts but left in 2011 to explore a new opportuni
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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 Coordinat
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Unexpected Friends Sydney, Spencer And Sasha
Pets are part of the family, and Shannon Barry of Hamilton, Ontario, wanted her hairless guinea pigs (aka “skinny pigs”) to join her and her husband in their activities—from watching television in the den to vacationing at their cottage. But how woul
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Paw Prints
Jesus, our brother, strong and good,Was humbly born in a stable rude,And the friendly beasts around him stood,Jesus, our brother, strong and good. “I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown,“I carried his mother uphill and down,I carried his mother to Be
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I’ll Never Forget You
I PICKED UP our long-haired chihuahua from the airport on a spring day in 2006. I had found him online and fallen for him. Poquito Ricardo (“Little Richard”) —jokingly named after our friend Richard, who made fun of the dog’s size (“He’s a rat dog!”)
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The Newfoundland Christmas Tree Pull
EVERY YEAR, Donna Foy of Franklin, Virginia, and her three Landseer (black-and-white) Newfoundlands put a little extra muscle—and a lot of fun—into holiday preparations. Donna, coordinator of the Colonial Newfoundland Club’s annual Christmas Tree Pul
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Miguel the Electric Eel
HAVE YOU heard of “Shocking Around the Christmas Tree”? It’s the Tennessee Aquarium’s unique holiday program. Next to the electric eel tank, a Christmas tree lights up every time the eel, named Miguel Wattson, releases a jolt of electricity. Electric
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Going Beyond
TENNESSEE IS KNOWN as the Volunteer State. The nickname goes back to the War of 1812, but the volunteer spirit remains alive today. Sheep breeder Philip Lakin, of Strawberry Plains, was invited to put on a sheep dog herding exhibit four hours away, i
All Creatures2 min readCats
Should I Be Worried?
Q My orange tabby, Julius, was neutered right before we adopted him. We have to put him in the litter box and coax him to urinate or he’ll spray walls, cupboards and doors. What’s wrong? —Nicole Wagner, Fredericksburg, Virginia A It’s always bes
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Calendar
Her daughters’ Christmas wish was to get a dog that was differently abled, just like them (page 18). Dana Polito-Corry thought it would be impossible—until she met Carmella. Army Sergeant Christy Gardner returned home from serving overseas with her b
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Rescuing Carmella
The girls never asked for much for Christmas. We were in the car; I was driving them to their weekly appointment with the therapist. I could see them in the back seat in the rearview mirror. “Mom,” Tianna said, “I want a dog for Christmas.” Tianna di
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Spirit Of The Wild
Growing up in Canada’s Arctic, Paul Nicklen didn’t have a phone or a radio. But he had his mom’s darkroom, where he watched images appear like magic. That’s all he needed to find his life’s purpose. Since then, he has captured the beauty of our plane
All Creatures6 min read
The Horse That Found Me
‘‘Hang on,” I said to my seven-year-old. I pried markers from the hands of my four-year-old twins. “Please don’t color your bodies.” The Saturday after Thanksgiving—another day in the life of a working mom. I loved my three boys, my husband and our l
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Their Mysterious Ways
“YOU SHOULD SHRED THOSE PAPERS.” My husband, Mike, gestured to a pile of documents I’d just tossed into the trash can. “It’s always a good precaution.” I felt silly pulling out the discarded papers. Who would be interested in digging through our garb
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How I Met My Pet
I WAS THERE WHEN THEY brought him in. An orange tabby cat, barely conscious. He didn’t look malnourished but was small, maybe six months old. What was really concerning were two deep puncture wounds on his sides. He’d been attacked by some kind of an
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STEVE STIERT Hudson Valley Donkey Park, New York
Steve Stiert once worked long days, and sometimes nights, in front of a computer as an IBM software engineer. Now you’re more likely to find him outside, tending to his herd of 11 donkeys, a mule and a zonkey (a zebra and donkey mix) as founder and d
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A Very Present Help
CHUCK! CHUCK! CHUCK! The sound was so strange—and so loud that we could hear it inside the house, with all the windows closed. Hunting for its source, my husband, Neil, and I headed out to our garage. Neil set up the ladder and checked under the eav
All Creatures6 min read
Born to Serve
I sat in an exam room at the VA hospital in Augusta, Maine, awaiting my team of doctors. I’d served in the Army as a sergeant in the military police. In July 2006 I’d been severely injured during a peacekeeping operation in Korea. Two fingers on my l
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Creature Comforts
I GOT OUT OF THE CAR that rainy Tuesday, already tired, and headed toward the rehab center where I work as an addiction counselor. It had been a difficult morning with my seven-year-old son, Adrian, who has severe ADD and ODD (oppositional defiant di
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Is This for Real?
How’s this for a unique retirement hobby? Seven grandmothers in the French territory of New Caledonia, an archipelago more than 1,000 miles off the Australian coast, snorkel nearly every day to gather data on venomous sea snakes. In 2013 Rick Shine,
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Happy Pet, Happy Life
Our pets give us so much joy, we want to give them the best care in return: healthy food, daily exercise, medical attention and lots of love. If you’re looking to make them extra happy, here are some great products to try. Washable beds, pillows and
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Color Me!
FUN FACTS: In courtship, the male penguin lowers his head, extends his neck and makes a sound while swinging his head around. Some males offer females a pebble as a gift. If she accepts it, she sees the gesture as the male helping her build her nest.

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