I have always loved to take pictures of kids and dogs, alone or together.

I worked for many years at the Commercial Appeal newspaper here in Memphis. On slow news days on occasion I was able to sneak in an animal photo. It might be kids and dogs playing in a park, or it might be an animal at the zoo.

I often would get teased about bringing in yet another "cute" picture into the newsroom. I never let it bother me because I knew deep down that some of my animal photos were the pictures our readers liked the most. They were often the pictures that I would get calls and letters about. People love animals. Many people prefer animals to people.

As journalists we regularly reported about important community issues, but the pictures and stories I brought into the newsroom about animals were the stories that most touched our readers.

For commissioned photo's of your pet you can reach me at karenpulferfocht@gmail.com or www.karenpulferfocht.com