Pets/Wildlife

Winnie will celebrate her 17th birthday on Sept. 16. When she was younger, she liked to be in the pool and enjoyed her walks. Winnie is laid-back and affectionate, and loves people, especially children and other animals. She has always loved stuffed animals. Winnie lives in Lutz with her proud owner, Linda Brunner.

Maria is a 2 ½-year-old rottweiler farm dog. She is great for herding horses, but doesn’t like chickens. Maria is house-trained and loves to swim and run through the woods. She resides with her proud owner, Jason Mooney, in New Port Richey.

Don Cimino, of Land O’ Lakes, goes for a daily walk around his Grand Oaks subdivision. At a small pond, he noticed swirling water and the next thing he knew, two otters jumped onto the grass and to the top of a drainage tunnel. The otters were nice enough to pose and even make some barking sounds, after which they dove back into the water for their swim. Cimino said he sees a lot of wildlife on his walks, but this is the first time he has seen otters.

Sumitra Gangavaram caught these black-bellied whistling ducks heeding the “No Trespassing” sign at Brooker Creek Preserve. Known as “squealers” in the waterfowl world, these ducks will usually hang out on power lines and rooftops, don’t like to swim, and act more like geese than ducks.

Susan Moore, of Dade City, found this precious fawn curled up under a tree in her backyard. Notice the heart-shaped white spot on its back!

Cathy Vitone caught this gator lurking in the grass in her backyard, in Land O’ Lakes. Alligators have inhabited Florida’s marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes for many centuries, and are found in all 67 counties, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Never feed an alligator and keep your distance if you see one.

Brenna Hicks snapped this waterfowl photo on East Lake in Land O’ Lakes. The blue and black bill identifies it as a little blue heron. Usually slow and methodical in its foraging, this heron walks very slowly in shallows or stands still waiting for prey to approach.

Christopher Horton snapped this reflection photo of three turtles on a log at the Morris Bridge Road Preserve. The photo is actually upside down….reflection on top, real turtles on the bottom.

Nicole Magazu noticed this cormorant sitting on a light pole appearing to enjoy a beautiful, sunny day in Land O’ Lakes. Cormorants’ short wings make them incredibly agile swimmers. Some cormorants also are known for their ability to use rocks as tools to help them open the shells of prey they have captured.