As an agriculture-centered show, we’ve featured a lot of animals over six season. But rather than livestock, this furry and feathered Best Of episode focuses more on companion animals.

Starts at 2:36 – First, turn your eyes to the sky in Wilcox County for a hawking tradition that dates back centuries. The avian aficionados of the Alabama Hawking Association spend hours upon hours training their raptors for rewarding days out in woods.

Starts at 9:17 – If you’re ever in a bad mood, exercise has been known to send the blues packing. But so can playing with a pet. That might be why we see so many smiles at Humming Star Farm where visitors stretch and sweat while communing with the farm’s alpacas.

Starts at 16:08 – Hawks and alpacas are good pals to have around, but we all know dogs are truly man’s best friend. Over in Chambers County, Phil Slay’s farm dog, Sue, is one of the best. In 2019, she was named People’s Choice Pup in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Farm Dog of the Year contest.

Starts at 22:47 – Therapy dogs are becoming a more common sight, brining comfort and joy to people in nursing homes and long-term care hospitals thanks to organizations such as Birmingham’s Hand In Paw. While you might think this is a “profession” exclusively for pooches, other animals can be certified for therapy, too. And now, we’re not “kidding” around.