Pets/Wildlife

This armadillo was out for an evening stroll in the front yard of Sharon Thompson’s home in Wesley Chapel. Armadillo means ‘little armored one’ in Spanish. Armadillos prefer warm, moist climates, and thrive in forested areas and grasslands. Because they must dig for their food and shelter, they gravitate toward areas with loose, porous soil. These animals use their strong claws to dig several burrows in which to live and seek refuge from extreme weather or predators. An armadillo burrow is about 7 inches to 8 inches wide, and up to 15 feet deep.

Bassett hound Peanut joined the Gleaton family in Dade City, last November. She loves to climb, pose, and play outside with her brother Percy (a Boxer mix) and sister Penny (a Corgi). Peanut is 8 months old.

Jackie Reyes was in her yard in Land O’ Lakes cleaning up her banana tree, when she found this spotted oleander caterpillar moth on one of the leaves. Reyes said she has never seen anything like it. The moth’s coloration and resemblance to a wasp may help it escape hungry predators.

Jaxson loves everyone he meets, including people, dogs and cats. And, everyone who meets Jaxson loves him, too! Jaxson loves to hunt lizards, chase leaves, take walks, eat treats and get petted. He likes to swim and has no problem getting a shower. Jaxson happily lives with this ‘rescued’ family – Mike, Kathy and Shane Fooshee, in Lutz.

Karen Whitenton, of Lutz, loves to hear the Carolina wrens sing. She enjoys their happy and loud sounds. She said the wrens sometimes nest right outside her window. Whitenton said she looks forward to checking out the wildlife photo every week in The Laker/Lutz News.

Murphy, left, and Gordie are golden retrievers – brothers and littermates that moved to Florida from Massachusetts, to live out their golden years in the Sunshine State. Their hobbies have included chasing tennis balls, squirrels and lizards. Sadly, Murphy, crossed the rainbow bridge unexpectedly on March 12, just 11 days shy of the brothers’ 10th birthdays. The Glynn family – Brian, Jess, Brendan and Reese, will miss Murphy tremendously, but will always show Gordie their love, at their home in Wesley Chapel.

This stunning cardinal’s photo was snapped by Janna Rolfe, of Meadow Pointe in Wesley Chapel. Rolfe said we are ‘so fortunate to have so much pretty wildlife here in our county,’ and she enjoys seeing the pictures in the paper each week.

Eli Guy loves his human parents, Amanda and Michael Zabrocki, and his human siblings Kaitlyn and Evan, and lives with the family in Bexley, in Land O’ Lakes. He is crazy about his visits with his grandparents.

Allie is 3 years old and a crazy mix of Lab, AmStaff, Bassett Hound and Dachshund. She has a very long body and short legs – helping her earn the nickname of ‘Allie-gator.’ When she’s not playing with the garden hose or chasing a frisbee, Allie is perfecting her poker face. Adopted from Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue in Bradenton at 9 weeks old, she’s been a silly yet serious member of the Glotz household in Lutz ever since.