Pets/Wildlife

Rylee is a 4-year-old golden retriever. She gets to see her fur family (mom, dad, sister and brother) during family reunions, and it is the cutest and craziest thing when they get together. Rylee enjoys long summer days soaking in the pool, hunting lizards, and playing with her favorite snorting-pig toy. She lives for endless back scratches and treats before bed. Rylee lives the good life with her owners, Dan and Kelly Hicks of Land O’ Lakes.

Deanna Demspey, of Dade City, said this purple gallinule was very interested in what she was doing during a fishing trip she took at Lake Pasadena. Gallinules mostly are found near freshwater, of which ponds with emergent vegetation are their favorite for nesting.

Bella is an 8-year-old Springer Spaniel. On hot days, she loves swimming in the pool with her family.  Bella loves to do tricks. When presented with a treat on the floor, Bella will sit and wait until she is told she can have the treat. Bella lives with the Eisenberg family in Wesley Chapel.

Nancy Boatwright was taking her dog out for an evening walk, and when she returned, this scarlet king snake was approaching her garage. Boatwright encouraged the non-venomous snake to head toward the grass simply by standing between it and the garage. A coral snake has similar coloring to a scarlet king snake. To help remember whether a snake is poisonous, think of this rhyme: “Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, won’t hurt jack.” Boatwright has lived in Quail Hollow for 33 years and also has seen deer, rabbits, racoons, opossums, pigs, turkeys and other critters.

Caden was rescued from a high-kill shelter about five years ago. Now, one of his favorite things in life is just floating around and dozing in the pool. Caden lives with his mom, Laurie Lunde, in Land O’ Lakes.

Rick Zelko spotted this little one taking advantage of the shade in his backyard in Land O’ Lakes.

Millie was born Jan. 15, 2020, and adopted from Best Friends Rescue in Georgia in April of last year. She is known for her ‘wiggle butt,’ as she gets so excited to meet new friends that her tail and whole body wiggle from side to side. She loves hunting lizards in the backyard, practicing agility, and hanging out at the Two Shepherds Taproom (and dog park), in Tampa. If she’s not doing any of those things, you can find her curled up in her bed, snoring very loudly. Millie lives with her owner, Kaylee Tegeler in Wesley Chapel.

The common mockingbird is a superb songbird and mimic. Its own song has a pleasant lilting sound and is, at times, both varied and repetitive. The mockingbird also is helpful to humans because it usually feeds on insects and weed seeds. In the summer and fall, it eats ripe berries. Sharon Thompson snapped this photo of a mockingbird perched atop the light pole in front of her home in Wesley Chapel.

Bentley is a 4-month-old Maltipoo. He loves lots of hugs and kisses, but most of all he loves his treats. Here, Bentley is ready to visit his granny and gramps at the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club. Bentley lives in Wesley Chapel with his owners, Bob and Debbie Gibson.