Wildlife rehabber
An abandoned nest of baby bunnies. An injured squirrel on the side of a road. These are the subjects of some of the calls Melinda Austin fields from members of [...]
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Posted January 01, 2025in People & Pets
Posted December 04, 2024in People & Pets
Yoga cat and puppy bonds
Pet owners may declare they are either dog lovers or cat lovers. Gary Hepker doesn’t need to decide on either. He likes both. Gary recently adopted Gracie, a 9-month-old mini [...]
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Posted November 06, 2024in People & Pets
Trio of cats
Sammy, an orange cat, whose owners are Carol Palmer and Dan Chase, is known for getting the ‘zoomies. Any cat owner knows what the zoomies entails. A cat sprints around [...]
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Posted October 02, 2024in People & Pets
Jenn Foster ‘couldn’t resist’ adopting more cats
When Jenn Foster began volunteering at Furry Friends Refuge — a no-kill pet shelter in West Des Moines — she had no intention of adopting a third or fourth pet. [...]
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Posted September 04, 2024in People & Pets
Dani’s Dolly
Dani McDowell has been a dog lover her entire life. She received two of her dogs from her mom. Thunder is a schnauzer, and Dolly is a miniature schnauzer. Although [...]
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Posted July 31, 2024in People & Pets
Conservation of the endangered bonobo
Did you know seven of our closest living relatives are located right here in Des Moines? No, it’s not your favorite uncle or grandpa. Instead, it’s bonobos — a great [...]
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Posted July 03, 2024in People & Pets
Bison, elk roam free
What was it like in Iowa’s prairie land before fast-food joints, strip malls and towering developments began pouring concrete and constructing buildings? To find out, drive to Granger and take [...]
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Posted June 05, 2024in People & Pets
Floppy-eared Fenton
When Abby Wilson and Tyler Burhenn moved into their own place together, the pair thought a pet might make it more homelike. Abby grew up with cats, a 6-year-old goldfish, [...]
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Posted May 01, 2024in People & Pets
Horses Helping Heroes
A lifelong horse trainer, veteran and former police officer is helping other veterans with mental health issues by offering equine therapy. Eric Moorman is a program director for Horses Helping [...]
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Posted April 03, 2024in People & Pets
His and her dogs
With two dogs in the home, Morgen and Monty Stenroos decided they needed a larger home with a fenced-in yard. They found a home in Grimes where dogs Zaika and [...]
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