Animal Stories returns to the LDN lineup of online magazines
Enter the pet contest or remember your pet that waits for you at the Rainbow Bridge

[January 18, 2023]   We often try to find the good that comes out of a bad situation, and such is the case with the pandemic that struck our country and our community in 2019, 20, and 21. The shutdown of schools and social events made it difficult for a news source to come up with adequate content to attract readers. Therefore, in 2020 the Animal Stories online magazine was brought into the mix of special publications for our readers.

The magazine ran in 2020 and in 2021. Then as the pandemic went somewhat to the wayside, the community began to get back to what would become the new normal in our society. We had activities and events and found that we at LDN were busy again and happy for it.

Because of this, it was determined that in 2022, we would not include the Animals Stories online magazine in our lineup. But we missed it. It was a fun magazine that offered reader participation through the Animals Stories Pet Contest and the tribute to animals who are waiting for their people at the Rainbow Bridge.

Therefore, as we began planning the 2023 projects, we concluded that we wanted to bring the Animals Stories magazine back into the mix. To accommodate the magazine, we moved the Education magazine up to a January publication date, kept the Farm Outlook magazine in March and neatly tucked the Animal Stories mag into the fold for a February publication date.

Animals Stories Pet Contest

At the first of January, LDN began seeking submissions for the Animal Stories Pet Contest and are delighted to report that we have already had a good response. But there is plenty of time for more entries and we want to encourage everyone who has a pet to send photos and enter their pet in one or more categories of the contest.

The categories for the pet contest are Cutest/Most Cuddly, Dress Your Pet, Caught in the Act, Best Expression, and Non-Traditional Pets. A group of judges will be asked to participate in a blind judging for each category. The most liked photo in each category will be named the winner of that category and will receive a $50 gift card courtesy of Farm and Home Supply in Lincoln.
 

Because this is a contest, of course, there must be a few rules.

• The pet must be a Logan County resident.

• A pet may be entered in multiple categories but will only be named a winner in one.

• All entries should be domesticated animals. The pet may live in the home, the yard, the barn, a coop or pen, but may not be a wild animal that visits on occassion.

• All Photos should be family friendly.

• All entries should include the category or categories entering, the name of the pet, and name and contact information of the pet parent. This may be a phone number or an email address.

  • NOTE: Contact information will NOT be saved, used for marketing, or sold to any marketing agencies.

• Pet parents may also write a sentence or more about their pet. This can include a comment on why you feel they are the best choice for the category entered.

The deadline for entry is Friday, February 10th with no exceptions.

Judging will be held on Monday, February 13th.

The winner of each category will be notified immediately. The winners will be asked to visit Farm and Home with or without their pet as they see fit for a photo op with Farm and Home management. That photo will be included in the publication. If the pet parent is unable to accommodate the photo request, the picture chosen in the specific category will be published on the winner page of the magazine.

For 2023, LDN is switching up the categories just slightly. We’ve dropped one category so we can add a new one, Non-Traditional Pets. This category will be ideal for those who have pets that are not dogs or cats. In past contests, we’ve had a few non-traditional pets enter the contest against all dogs and cats. Those pets are special, but we felt that they were being stereotyped into a specific category that was designed for canines and felines. This year, we want to let them shine in their own category whether they be a bird, a rabbit or guinea pig, or a reptile or a fish. The primary rule for this category is as mentioned above the pet should be domesticated.

There is no cost to enter the contest, and all the photos submitted will be published in the Animal Stories magazine with the pet’s name and the pet parent name listed along with whatever commentary the pet parent provides.

Entries should be emailed to
  or you may submit photos via the Facebook messenger on the Lincoln Daily News Facebook page. You may also bring the photo to the LDN office at 520 Broadway Street in Lincoln or mailed to the same address. Office hours are Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and afternoons by appointment.

At the Rainbow Bridge

In addition to the Pet Contest, the Animals Stories magazine will feature a special section for remembering pets who have passed away. Those pets are often referred to as “At the Rainbow Bridge.” This stems from a poem with an unknown author that speaks of how that when pets pass, they await their people in a lovely grassy area at the foot of a bridge. When the human comes to join the pets, they are joyously reunited and together they cross over the rainbow bridge into eternity never to be separated again.

It's a touching analogy that brings to light the fact that most of us feel are pets are beloved family members, children if you will, and we love them as such. The thought of being reunited with those we love is one of the best thoughts we have as we prepare to leave this world, so it makes sense that would include our pets.

In the meantime, as we await that day, we look back fondly on those pets, remembering the good times we shared, the joy they brought to our lives, and the funny little quirks that made them special in our hearts.

At the Rainbow Bridge will be a section of the magazine that allows readers to share the memory of a pet passed via a photo and perhaps a comment or two about the pet.

Those entries may be sent to Lincoln Daily News via email, Facebook, delivered in person to the LDN offices, or mailed. Please be sure to designate that the entry is for the Rainbow Bridge section.

The deadline for submission in the Rainbow Bridge section will also be Friday February 10th.

As of this publication, LDN has received more than 20 entries for the Pet Contest and are hopeful that we will receive many more in the next 30 days.

We encourage everyone who has a pet they think is special (and aren’t they all) to enter the contest.

We also hope that those who have pets in waiting at the Rainbow bridge will share with the community their love for that pet.

We look forward to hearing from you all.

[Nila Smith]