Emily Bogle

Put a cone around a dog's neck and watch its personality totally transform.

Orienting to life with a blocked view can mean a carefree pup acts confused, a wiggly dog turns stoic and a laid-back dog seems embarrassed.

Sometimes called Elizabethan collars, cones are designed to limit access to a wound. But for the dogs who leave the vet's office wearing them, the protective device hardly seems regal.

This year brought a wide range of news events and NPR's Instagram audience responded. With a mix of still images and videos, we gained about 350,000 new followers and surpassed our engagement goals in 2017.

Our Instagram philosophy is to share a mix of NPR stories from a variety of topics each day. Breaking news and politics led the top 10 posts of the year but our audience also gravitated to features including baby boxes, a favorite dish from Iran and a lesson on Native American treaties.

John and Grace Slaby met 19 years ago on an animal preserve much like the one they own and operate now. The 5-acre Kowiachobee Animal Preserve in Naples, Fla., holds more than 100 animals — from a 6-year-old African lion named Shaumbay to a raccoon named Dexter.

Last month, Kowiachobee was hit by the eye of Hurricane Irma, a Category 3 storm. After an already wet season, the hurricane created more flooding on the property. Grace and John, along with many volunteers, are now repairing cages damaged by the storm.

This is the conclusion of our three-part series. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

May 7: Race Day