In the photo I submitted, you see my Dad’s weathered hands from years of farming and working as a farm machinery mechanic (20+ years with International Harvester and a number of years with his own repair business). The photo shows the “scars of life” as witnessed by the jagged cut on my Dad’s hand and the scar on the nose of one of his dogs. I took this photo on Thanksgiving Day of 1994 when I was enrolled in a beginning photography class at The University of Iowa. When I developed the photo, I was surprised to see the parallel scars and the wonderful loving expression on the face of the dog my Dad is petting.

The white dog in the photo is the offspring of a puppy I adopted while in high school because it was going to be destroyed if someone did not take him in. My Dad really bonded with that dog and they had a very special relationship. My Dad passed away from cancer on Thanksgiving Day 1995, one year from the day I took the photo.

My Dad taught me to love animals at a young age. He took me to pick out my first kitten when I was about three years old. His love for animals of all kinds, including his farm animals, taught me to love and care for animals as well. Like many people, the pets we have throughout our lives are some of the best friends we will ever have.