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Spring 2026

Fur, Feathers, and Photos

by Naomi Yu

Take a “paws” to check out these images of furry and feathered friends in collections across the archives at the Bentley Historical Library.

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A collie dog with its head tilted, looking attentive and playful, in the snow.

A Very Good Dog
Admit it, you just “booped” this pup’s nose, didn’t you? This very good dog is in at least two photos taken on the Sherwood family farm between 1910 and 1950.

A woman leaning out of a doorway to feed a deer. The deer is on the steps to the house, eating from her hand.

Oh Deer!
This 1952 photo from the Ivory Photo Collection shows a friendly deer getting a treat.

Ella Fuller standing with a cow in a field, with trees in the background.

Cow In Motion
Mooove over! The Ella Fuller photograph collection depicts life on their small farm in Ypsilanti Township from approximately 1895 to 1912.

A beaver standing paused over broken sticks.

Beaver Island
A beaver pauses its work in this undated postcard from Beaver Island, Michigan.

Two chickens standing togethr with greenery and a wall in the background.

Majestic Chickens
The Sherwood family farm was located in Holly, Michigan, and the family photos from the early- to mid-1900s feature plenty of animals, including draft horses, sheep dogs, and these chickens.

A draft horse standing next to a man, with a car and a house in the background.

Horsing Around
This draft horse from the Sherwood Family farm is one of the many wonderful creatures featured in historical farm life photos from the archives.

A man in a suit and tie crouching to smile at a boy in a striped shirt holding a puppy.

A Tiny Pup
The records of the Humane Society of Huron Valley go all the way back to 1896. This undated photo is a classic example of one of the many services the organization offers: pet adoption!

A boy holding a cat in a field, standing in front of a tree.

A Feline Friend
Maude Sink (née Ford) and Emory Sink were students at the University of Michigan in the early 1900s and
later married. This undated image from Maude Sink’s scrapbook is possibly of a young Emory holding a cat.

Two dogs pulling a mail sled, posed with four men in front of a Post Office in the snow.

Paws Office Employees
Taken from the Bentley’s postcard collection, these dogs harnessed to a small sled provided “goods delivered promptly,” according to the text on the card.

Two girls sitting in a grassy field with a large number of rabbits, in front of a house.

A Real Kerfluffle
The Squier family was from Battle Creek, Michigan. This may be an image of twins Bernice and Blanche Squier looking slightly overwhelmed by their fluffle of rabbits circa 1912.