Pets/Wildlife

Michele Wyatt quickly grabbed her camera when she spotted this eagle in her backyard, in Stagecoach Village in Land O’ Lakes. Wyatt said it was pure luck that the eagle had not yet flown off.

Gracee is a 3-year-old Blue Merle Rough collie that is very energetic and loves to play with her brother, Jax. She loves to play ball and frisbee, loves walks, attention and lots of treats. Gracee lives with three cats and her owner, Kathy Smith, in Wesley Chapel.

Steve Vinik, a regular contributor to our Local Wildlife section, grabbed his camera once again to capture this beautiful portrait of sandhill crane and its babies. Vinik lives in Lexington Oaks, in Wesley Chapel.

DG Moore captured the incredible moment when this gator decided to chow down, in the backyard pond. Moore lives in Northwoods Palms in Wesley Chapel.

Otis is a 13-year-old Shih-poo. He loves fishing, boating and the beach. He loves his owner and follows her wherever she goes, even to the bathroom. Otis is part of the Karen Williams family and lives in Land O’ Lakes with his feline buddy, Moe, too.

White ibises are large wading birds with football-shaped bodies, and long curved bills. They usually gather in groups in shallow wetlands and estuaries, and nest in colonies in trees and shrubs along the water’s edge, changing locations nearly every year. Betsy Crisp snapped this photo of a couple of white ibises in search of a snack, in Land O’ Lakes.

Oscar is a Yorkie/Maltese mix and is about 5 months old. His owner picked him up last December at Lonestar Dog Ranch Rescue in Anna, Texas. Oscar has two other rescue siblings — Beans, a French bulldog, and Lady, a Labrador Retriever — who both are very patient with Oscar’s sassy-pants puppy behavior. Oscar lives with Lindsey Paris in Wesley Chapel.

Deanna Dempsey caught this great blue heron, red-handed, stealing her catch. Dempsey took this photo of ‘Charlie’ on Lake Pasadena, in Dade City.

Basil was adopted almost two years ago from Cat Haven Rescue. Since then, she has doubled in size, and has brought so much joy into her owners’ lives. Basil loves to sunbathe, stare at water, and play with her cat sister, Bonnie. She even knows how to play fetch. She has definitely turned her owner, Shannon Joyce of Land O’ Lakes, into a cat person for life!