Annie's Menagerie animals serve as goodwill ambassadors, teaching the importance of respect and good care.  

A love of animals, a caring instinct and a good business mind were the key ingredients that helped Annie Harris build her dream job - Annie's Menagerie, a business that shows people how to love and respect domestic and exotic animals.

When Harris was pregnant with her first child in 1987, she faced a dilemma. She was the owner of a small restaurant and bar and enjoyed having her own business, but also knew her child would be her first priority.

I had this vision of going to work with the baby [bundled up] like a papoose while I bused tables and served drinks, but it just didn't work.  Annie said she took time off from work outside the home when her son and daughter were born. A longtime animal lover, she took her children for walks in the forest and went on school trips to places like the zoo.

Annie said the idea of another business just fell into my lap, "literally". While walking around her house in Union Park Gardens, she noticed an orphaned baby squirrel, so she took it home to care for it. Over the next few months, word got around about her thoughtfulness. Soon her house was full of orphaned and mistreated animals. One neighbor saw a rabbit being mistreated - it now resides at Harris' house.

She continued to help out at her oldest child's school, and sometimes took a few animals for show and tell. The feedback she got from teachers and students about her knack with animals and skill in educating others about them led to her new business.

Annie chose the name because menagerie, by definition, means a collection of anything and in this case, animals. How right on was that?

And what a collection it is. Since January 1994 when she first started her business, she's had about 50 animals, ranging from the more common animals like rabbits, turtles and ferrets, to some not so common, like a rare 12-inch African millipede, chinchillas and rare birds. At one time, she even had a potbellied pig and a pygmy goat. She has assembled her menagerie through friends, pet stores, and Mother Nature.

In 1994, her first paid "show" was at her son's preschool. It consisted of showing just a few animals and allowing the children to pet them.

Annie based the content of her shows on what her child enjoyed and could comprehend at that age. Annie said. "Sometimes, I make it into a guessing game and sometimes the show is more of an educational class."

Harris reads about animals every day to keep up with new information.

"Although many children have pets, some don't know how to take care of them in the best possible way, and many don't know about the wild animals that they can find in their own back yard," Harris said "Growing up in Leipsic, DE, my family had cats and a rabbit, and I was always bringing home strays. I've always loved animals because they give such unconditional love, and I developed a gift for caring for them."

Since 1994, Harris has had to expand her business to meet the demand for her shows. While she said she considers herself an educator, she's become an entertainer, too. now adding store exhibitions, birthday parties, nursing homes and company picnics to the long list of places she visits.

In any given week, Harris has five to seven shows, sometimes three in one day. The goal of her shows, she said is to "try to get across to the children that animals have feelings, too. and people need to have respect for [those] feelings and be gentle and patient to all of the Earth's creatures."