I enjoy taking photographs of animals and their “people.” This particular day I was at the Kalona Iowa Fall Festival in east central Iowa. I made my way around the various exhibits and came to a giant framed photo of this chihuahua in elf costume. She was an assistant to Santa at the mall during the holidays. She also had been out on a couple of other acting gigs. Her exhibit area included a built to scale doggy land, and she was bundled up to keep her warm in the shade of the building. It was obvious, right on down to her painted toenails, that she was very much loved. This photograph is an example of the special relationships I’ve seen in Iowa between people and animals.

Early in life I learned that animals could assist us in living and that we should treat them humanely, and for their role in the big picture we should respect them. I see two worlds, ours and theirs. I spent time intrigued with salamanders, frogs, searching for hidden chicken nests, and so on. Many years have passed since then with the company of cats, dogs, guinea pigs (thanks mom!), hamsters, parakeets, cockatiels, an African gray parrot, a ten-year-old fantail goldfish that posthumously went down the Iowa river to the Gulf of Mexico because “that is the way she would have wanted it.” Life has certainly been more fulfilling and fun with these creatures as companions. The Iowa landscape is rich with examples of how life is enhanced daily with our animal interactions, thank goodness.