Will Kuhns snapped this photo of a dragonfly in his Ballantrae neighborhood in Land O’ Lakes. Dragonflies are powerful and agile fliers, capable of migrating across the sea, moving in any direction and changing direction suddenly. The adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions: upward, downward, forward, backward, to the left and to the right.
Pets/Wildlife
Dobby is the sweetest dog
Dobby was adopted in July 2022 from the Mercy Full Project in Tampa that rescued him from a not-so-loving home. He is named after the elf from Harry Potter. Dobby plays all day and gets a lot of treats, and he just wants to be loved. Dobby lives with his proud parents, Tyler Staggs and Noel Damouni, in Land O’ Lakes.
Nature at its best
Baby Girl celebrates her third birthday
Baby Girl is a cocker-poodle and perfectly sized at 12 pounds. She has warmed the hearts of all her neighbors and has ‘socialized’ dogs that originally didn’t want to mingle.
She comes out of the house on her leash and looks right and then left — her mission is to head for someone to pet her or ‘sniff her.’ Baby Girl has brought joy and love to her two moms, Mary and Helen Lewandowski.
A hawk of the woodlands
Grady has a ‘famous’ namesake
Grady is a 3-year-old ‘teddy bear,’ full-bred registered red male shih tzu, born in Bradenton. Grady was named after the famous sheriff from Polk County, Grady Judd. It was love at first sight when Grady’s mom adopted him and brought him home. Grady is beautiful, brave and makes everyone smile. He likes humans and loves to make people happy. Grady is very soft and loves hugs, so humans love to hold him. He lives with his mom, Terry Warner, and family in Wesley Chapel.
A rascally redhead
This house finch was perched on a palm tree near the front door of Steve Vinik’s home in Lexington Oaks, Wesley Chapel. The bird was hanging out with a few other red-feathered friends, too. Vinik said it’s wonderful when you can sit inside your air-conditioned home and capture an image like this on the other side of your window.
Teddy loves to be the center of attention
Teddy is a 17-year-old miniature poodle. He is adorable and likes wearing shirts, scarves and bow ties. Teddy loves to go to the groomers and get pampered, too. He is a picky eater and will only eat Publix chicken. He loves to snuggle in bed and is a great watch dog with a loud powerful bark. Teddy was adopted from his owner’s mother when she passed away. He lives in Land O’ Lakes with Steve and Lisa Carmack.
Watching the action
Sadie is sweet, gentle, loving and smart
Sadie is an 8-month-old mini goldendoodle. She is so smart her owner decided to train her to be a service dog for herself. In the first six months of training, Sadie has learned how to “get it, bring it and give it,” and will learn how to help with medication reminders, too. Sadie gets spoiled at home by her mommy, daddy and two human brothers. She also has a parrot brother, Loki, a fun playmate. Sadie lives in Wesley Chapel with Lauren Harkness, who has always owned parakeets and parrots, but said getting Sadie was one of the best things she has ever done in her life.