This issue's featured photo

Charlie the dog wearing his coat and hat in the snow.
Elizabeth Sarber

I’ve had Charlie since he was a puppy and he’s been my rock throughout my 20s and 30s. He’s very intuitive and can tell when I am feeling anxious and helps calm me down.

Last year, I went through a breakup, and he was there for me yet again. I was feeling depressed and spent a lot of time inside my house. To motivate myself to get outside more, I created an Instagram for Charlie where I could document our adventures.

Through Charlie, I’ve met other dog lovers in my area and found dog-friendly businesses to explore. It’s snowballed into this awesome community of animal lovers. We now attend a lot of dog-friendly events and I love seeing the joy Charlie brings to everyone he meets. Charlie has also been better at getting me dates than Tinder!

—Elizabeth Sarber, Frederick, Maryland

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Do you have an inspiring photo of a wild animal, beloved pet or rescued farm animal? We want to see it! Send it to us for possible publication in All Animals magazine, along with an explanation about why it's meaningful to you.

cats licking each other in a pet bed
Rachael Rodgers

Previously featured photos

Barred owl sitting on a maple tree with a crawfish in its mouth.
During a May visit to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina, I spotted this barred owl sitting on a maple tree. The bird kept glancing at the shallow canal below and eventually swooped down and grabbed a crawfish from the water. I had only a few seconds to take the picture before the owl swallowed the crawfish. I don’t often have the opportunity to photograph barred owls, particularly in good light. A crawfish hanging from the bird’s beak was a real plus. A little while later, the owl caught another crawfish and went back to the maple tree to enjoy the meal.
Gordon Kilgore, Georgia | Featured in the Fall 2023 issue
Photo of a gorilla standing against a rainy landscape.
Seeing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat with my wife, Wendy, was a longstanding bucket list item. In November 2018, Wendy and I traveled to Uganda and Rwanda to see these amazing animals firsthand. During our final trek, a group of gorillas left the safe confines of Volcanoes National Park and ventured into the adjacent agricultural fields to feast on eucalyptus trees. As we followed the group at a respectful distance, I noticed this silverback standing on a ridge. To my surprise, he stopped—covered in a chilling drizzle of mist—to survey the mountain forests of his natural environment behind him and the planted fields that had once been his natural habitat surrounding him. After contemplating the scene, he descended to his group.
—Gary Price, Connecticut / Featured in the Summer 2023 issue
A a male blue-gray gnatcatcher feeds a fledgling.
As I stepped outside my house one June day, I saw a baby bird fly into a trash can then begin flying in circles. I went over to help and he was surprisingly calm as I picked him up. The other bird in the photo, presumably his parent, began to call out as I held him. While I was checking to see if the bird was OK, the parent flew over to feed their young. Afterward, I placed the baby bird on a branch and waited with my camera—and sure enough, the parent came back to feed him again. After taking the photo, I waited at a distance to make sure that the baby could fly in a straight line. He flew off with the other bird about 10 minutes later!
—Emma Dampier, Georgia / Featured in the Spring 2023 issue
Pika sitting on rocks with his mouth open.
I live near Mount Evans in Colorado and travel up the mountain several times a summer to enjoy the scenery and watch wildlife. I occasionally see American pikas, but it’s difficult to get a good view of these small and quick animals, who are threatened by our warming climate. I recently discovered a rocky area that appeared to be a pika village. I sat on a rock and waited for the noisy guys to come out of hiding. One perched on a rock and squeaked to warn his neighbors about a nearby weasel. Until I reviewed the photos at home, I had not realized that I’d captured a pika mid-chirp. That was even more exciting!
—Ann Zimmerman, Colorado / Featured in the Winter 2023 issue

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Cover of All Animals Winter 2024 Issue