Glorious guinea pig
The perfect apartment pet Cassidy Dixon is a self-described animal lover, so it comes as no surprise to her that, in her late-20s, she is a first-time guinea pig owner. [...]
Read More →
Posted May 02, 2018in People & Pets
Posted February 28, 2018in People & Pets
Cold-blooded cuddles
Bearded dragons and leopard geckos Krys Rankin knew she wanted pets for her classroom at Lincoln RAILS Academy — where she’s taught English and special education since 2013 — but [...]
Read More →
Posted January 31, 2018in People & Pets
Llama Mama
A tale of love-filled guard llamas “I don’t know how many times my husband and I would talk, and I would be like ‘I think she’s the best thing we’ve [...]
Read More →
Posted January 03, 2018in People & Pets
Magnificent miniature donkeys
A teenage dream comes true Courtney Tompkins was destined to own miniature donkeys. “I saw them as a teenager and just thought they were super cute and said, ‘One day [...]
Read More →
Posted December 06, 2017in People & Pets
Dashing through the snow
Real reindeer Jodi and John Philipp aren’t your average Santa and Mrs. Claus. You won’t find them at the local mall either. For 17 years, the couple has been touring [...]
Read More →
Posted November 01, 2017in People & Pets
Crime-fighting duo
A police officer and his canine partner The K-9 unit of the Des Moines Police Department was first established in the 1980s. A small and specialized unit, the city of Des [...]
Read More →
Posted October 04, 2017in People & Pets
Black cat fever
Not a crazy cat lady Black cats are the source of several myths and legends. As the spookiest holiday of the year approaches, the stigma surrounding the darker variety of [...]
Read More →
Posted September 06, 2017in People & Pets
One-eyed wonder
A one-eyed dog named Howie “He owned it,” says Brooke Wagner of her one-eyed dog. “It didn’t seem to affect him much.” Howie, an 11-year-old shih tzu, lost its left [...]
Read More →
Posted August 02, 2017in People & Pets
The bee’s knees
Backyard bee breeding Jason Foley’s Des Moines home and the 1.72-acre property it sits on is entirely devoted to his bee breeding business, Foley’s Russian Bees. Foley has been breeding [...]
Read More →
Posted July 05, 2017in People & Pets
Why did the chickens cross the road?
Nine chickens and counting Backyard chickens may be a trend of urban hipsters, but for Des Moines resident Nicole James and her family, they are beloved backyard pets. The James [...]
Read More →
