If I were to be asked to describe my story in a single word, that word would be 'symbiosis,' the intimate living together of dissimilar organisms in a mutually beneficial relationship. This is the story of the symbiotic relationships between a married couple (the author and his wife) and our animals--dogs, cats, and, last but certainly in no way least, horses. Each animal fulfilled many deep needs in us and we in them.\240 We benefited each other. We cherished each other. We rescued one another. And I often ask myself: Did these creatures come into our life because we needed them or did it only seem that way?\015\012\015\012Cartoons by Ron Rush.