Posted May 03, 2017in People & Pets
Michelle Conkling’s Des Moines home contains many animals, but perhaps the most exotic of them all is a 10-year-old Congo African grey parrot named Kanoni. Conkling and her husband purchased the bird from a now defunct pet store when it was 2 and have had it ever since. The bird’s
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Posted April 05, 2017in People & Pets
A Drake alum and director of Drake’s annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest, Niki Smith already had a deep-seeded love for the breed. But in September of 2016, she finally became a bulldog owner. Seven-year-old Dexter is not an English Bulldog — the breed synonymous with the university — but rather is
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Posted March 01, 2017in People & Pets
Four cats and Ashley Sholes When Ashley Sholes gets home, she has four furry friends acting as a welcoming committee. “They greet me at the door,” she says. “They follow me around, and they definitely keep me entertained.” Sholes is an avid animal lover, but she insists she isn’t necessarily
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Posted February 01, 2017in People & Pets
“She’s more of a fish girl, and I’m more of a coral guy,” says Dave Roth about the passion that he and his wife Deanna share for fish aquariums. Roth works in information technology (IT) by day. But at home, he labors over his two fish tanks with a watchful
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Posted January 04, 2017in People & Pets
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a really big dog? Meet Castle, the 8-month-old Great Dane puppy and its owner, Sonia Gens. The pair recently traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the National Specialty Show, and Gens says her dog is the youngest Great Dane to receive an
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Posted November 30, 2016in People & Pets
Digging a grave for a loved one gives the gravedigger an opportunity to reflect on good times past. Recently, I dug her grave on the edge of our prairie. It was cool, overcast and windy, but ramming the shovel into hard clay brought out beads of sweat. Despite the dreary
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Posted November 02, 2016in People & Pets
Who do you call when you find an abandoned dog, just 4 months old, tied to a stake in a yard, stuck in the freezing temperatures at what appears to be an abandoned home? The dog’s stomach was sucked in, and its body was taut, its muscles were too lean.
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Posted October 05, 2016in People & Pets
Like clockwork, Tyler Hall wakes up each morning to a face-licking from his dog, Kingsley, at about 6:30 a.m. And from there, he and Kingsley start their daily routines as man and BFF — “best furry friend.” “I don’t even need an alarm clock,” said Hall. Then the duo eats
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Posted August 31, 2016in People & Pets
According to Snapple Facts, it is illegal in Switzerland to own only one Guinea pig because they are prone to loneliness. Jackie Gautsch doesn’t have to worry if her two Guinea pigs — Baby Lady and Monkey — are depressed, because they now have each other. “I have a pet
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Posted August 09, 2016in People & Pets
They greet you with wagging tails and curious eyes. Enzo, a French bulldog and labrador mix, is right by the door, stalling any move to enter. Friday, a purebred English setter, stands back a little, assessing the action at the front door. Together, they look like polar opposites, but owner
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