Pets/Wildlife

Steve Vinik and his wife frequently see a variety of birds in their Lexington Oaks community in Wesley Chapel, including sandhill cranes. The cranes have been known to take turns pecking birdseed from the Viniks’ bird feeder. Some of the sandhill crane’s favorite meal items include seeds, plant tubers, grains, berries and insects. Unlike other wading birds, sandhill cranes do not ‘fish.’

Hayate is about 5 years old and is a Shiba Inu, which means ‘brushwood dog’ in Japanese. His name means ‘swift breeze,’ which suits him since he can run like the wind! It was just Hayate and his human dad until they met a female Shiba Inu and her human mom at the dog park. Now they are all one family, and Hayate is living a dog’s life in Lutz with Dana Rine and Robert Stief.

Jennifer Cohn, a fourth-grade teacher at Seven Oaks Elementary School, found this curious, morning visitor near her home in Wesley Chapel.

Seamus is a 5-year-old English bulldog. Christa Boyle, of Land O’ Lakes, said Seamus likes to snuggle with his three owners – Christa’s daughters, Trinity, Leilani and Saoirse, of whom he is very protective. The bulldog also likes to play in the kitchen cabinets.

Marisol Fontanez snapped this photo of a blue jay in Dade City. Blue jays make a large variety of calls that carry long distances, and most calls are produced while the jay is perched in a tree. Acorns are one of this bird’s favorite foods.

Ellis is a 3-year old calico rescued from a laundromat when she was only a couple weeks old. She loves to cuddle and take naps with her mama and really is not into hanging around any other people. Ellis loves trying to chase things she can see outside from the window, such as lizards, bugs and leaves. Her favorite toys are laser pointers and anything that makes noise or moves (like her human owners). She goes crazy over her “nummies” (cat treats) or wet food. Ellis gets the “zoomies” between midnight and 5 a.m., her favorite time to run wild around the house while loudly meowing at the night. Ellis lives with Jordan Glogowski in Land O’ Lakes.

Lillian Cucuzza, of Land O’ Lakes, was excited to see a male Indigo Bunting (bright blue) and a female bunting in her backyard. Look for Indigo Buntings in weedy and brushy areas, especially where fields meet forests. These birds love edges, hedgerows, overgrown patches and brushy roadsides.

Foster is a domestic shorthair cat that was adopted from the Broward County Humane Society at 2 months old. He was adopted alongside his brother, Coco. Through the years, the cats weathered the addition of three children, two dogs, and moving four times across state lines. Foster was a staple of the family until he disappeared in October 2018.

Searching went unanswered until 2 months later, when a woman found Foster after he had traveled almost 2 miles into a neighboring subdivision. The woman took him to the vet and had his microchip scanned, but the microchip included outdated information from three previous moves.

After making calls, mailing letters and eventually searching the Pasco County property appraiser’s website for the family name, Foster was returned safely to his home. Foster lives with Melissa Hernandez in Land O’ Lakes, who is very thankful to the woman who never gave up searching. Hernandez also wants to emphasize the importance of updating microchip information.

Steve Vinik and his wife frequently see large plecos (plcostomus) rise to the surface of the pond in their backyard, in the Lexington Oaks community in Wesley Chapel. Vinik said the fish appear to be upside down with their mouths open to the air, giving it a ‘creature from the black lagoon’ appearance. Plecos are well-known algae eaters and scavengers, and will eat almost anything. The couple also sees a variety of birds from cardinals to sandhill cranes.

Jiff Pop was given his name because he truly is a jumping ball of energy and fluffy hair. He was born in Brazil on June 2, 2017. Today, he weighs about 3.5 pounds. Jiff Pop is very obedient and charming, and loves to get all the attention when walking on the streets and beach. Jiff Pop performs a dramatic dance and gets excited every time he finishes using his toilet at home, to win his good boy prize. His mother, Marilena, would like to find him a bride someday and also for Jiff Pop to become a professional model. Jiff Pop’s proud owner is Marilena Cadais, of Lutz.