Walking dogs in the snow
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: #Pets and #Kids Make Life Exciting!

Friday, April 26, was National Kids and Pets Day, so let’s share our favorite images of kids and pets this week.

The History of National Kids and Pets Day

This “holiday” was first created in 2005 by Colleen Paige, a celebrity pet and family lifestyle expert, and a former EMT. She created this day not only to help further the bond between pets and children but also to bring awareness to the plight of animals in shelters. Another reason she invented this holiday was to emphasize the importance of parents implementing safety measures when children and pets are together. Source

No kids or pets? Improvise! Images of other’s kids or grandkids and any images of animals, birds, reptiles, fish, or critters will work. Almost anything goes, so have fun with this theme!

Brodie, Our Dog

Brodie pretty in pink
Brodie’s a Love Bug

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a dog in my life.

In 2022, we said goodbye to my daughter’s dog, Gideon, and my little Aero. They were brothers from separate litters, and both passed away at age 12. We will always hold them dear in our hearts

Dogs alert for Danger
Gideon and Aero used to look out for me on the water.

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras

Dogs howling
Aero and Gideon caught in their morning howl!
Blonde and Brown dogs
Brothers Gideon and Aero forever
Little Boys Grow Up, And Dogs Get Old – Luke Bryan

Brodie came along in January 2017 and wowed us with his intelligence and silliness. He is a purebred Boykin Spaniel if you are wondering. He attracts much attention, as very few Boykins are seen in the Western US.

2 brown dogs enjoying morning sunshine
Baby Brodie and Aero in 2017
Brodie at dog-friendly restaurant
Brodie orders lunch from the waitress
Gonna Buy Me A Dog – The Monkees

Needless to say, Brodie goes almost everywhere we go. Lately, Brodie has visited a Portland tulip farm and two waterfalls and had other adventures.

At the Tulip Farm
man and dog on tulip farm
Even Brodie loves the tulips
Man and dog
Hans and Brodie At Palouse Falls

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” – Josh Billings

Going to the Dog—Woods

You can always draw on nature for inspiration if you lack dog pictures. The dogwood trees are beginning to blossom now and will show their lovely blooms in May.

“Decorate my soul with spring. Fill its depth with lovely things.” ~ Angie Weiland-Crosby

Dogwood Tree Pretty in Pink
Dogwood Tree Pretty in Pink
Dogwood Tree Blossom
Dogwood Tree Blossom
Dogwood Tree Blossoms
Blossom close-up
Dogwood Trees bloom in May
Spring’s Dogwood Trees
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree—Tony Orlando & Dawn

Winged “Pets” in the Backyard

My four-legged pets have been an integral part of our lives. The birds I have photographed over the years are also beloved to me, and I thank God for nature and this beautiful world in which we live. Now that we have planted 30 trees on our property, the birds come from far and wide to feed, nest, and cavort.

“I don’t feed the birds because they need me; I feed the birds because I need them.”
― Kathi Hutton

three birds at feeder
Finch Foodfest

“There is an unreasonable joy to be had from the observation of small birds going about their bright, oblivious business.” ― Grant Hutchison

I feel close to these wonderful birds, and new species have arrived on our property. I would not consider these wild but somewhat tame birds actual pets, but I do actively feed them with several feeders and bathe them (with two birdbaths),…

Breeding Yellow Male Goldfinch
Breeding Male Goldfinch
two goldfinches in bird bath
Goldfinch Bath time
Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

I also house them (nest building) and spend time watching them. These cute flycatchers are new to our property this year and have built a nest under our patio cover.

Say's Phoebe (flycatcher) bird
Say’s Phoebe (flycatcher)
female Say's Phoebe
Female Say’s Phoebe
Sparrow By Simon & Garfunkel
bird in a nest
Nesting Say’s Phoebe

Enjoying Children

My hubby and I are grandparent age, and we have two granddaughters who live in San Diego, California, a mere 1350 miles away from us.

Grandma and girlies
First pic with grand-daughters in 2022

All of our children are grown, and the recently married one is “working” toward having a baby. Below is an image of me, my daughter, and her dog Gideon (who is now gone).

two women with white dog
My Little Girl by Tim McGraw

Close to home live our nieces and nephews, who have a few kids of their own.

two children stand by water
Grand-niece and nephew enjoying the local pond

“Childhood is that state which ends the moment a puddle is first viewed as an obstacle instead of an opportunity.” ~ Kathy Williams

Beach Reflections
What’s Better than walking on the beach with your dog?
Walking dogs on the Centennial Trail
Walking dogs on the Centennial Trail
Public Pool Dog Playground
End of Season Event, Doggy Dip Day
Summer of My Dreams – Kathy Mattea

Partially inspired by various challenges: Cee’s FOTD, Dawn’s Spring Festival, Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday, and Lens-Artists: Music to My Eyes (noted in gallery captions).

pink flower border

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

This Week’s Featured Bloggers

Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers, poets, artists, and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers sharing their photos of kids and pets. I add these all week as new links are posted. Please comment on my post if you link your post to Sunday Stills and wish to be included in each week’s listed round-up.

The May themes are ready to view on my Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Page, which is updated monthly. Join me next week as we explore GROUPS.

Thank you for the great responses to last week’s Earth Day theme!

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115 comments

  5. Aw, it was so nice to see Aero again. Brodi looks like he’s doing well being the king of the house. I love the grandchildren photos and smiles, I’m not at that stage yet so it’s nice to see even if they’re far away they still love grandparent moments. I love how this quote fit your post so well too: Childhood is that state which ends the moment a puddle is first viewed as an obstacle instead of an opportunity.” ~ Kathy Williams The birds and the flowering trees – oh, my, so fun to see spring is here!

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    • Thank you, Shelley! I am blessed to have the grandnieces/nephews living close by. We took that walk on Easter with my BIL (their grandpa). The outdoor educator in me rears its head fast when I explain stuff about the rocks and ponds to them. That was a fun moment and I got lucky with that quote. Yes I still my my Aero…

      We are enjoying the wild bird show this spring–I’ve never seen so many birds and different species. The 30 young trees certainly helps! Have a great week, my friend!

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      • It’s so fun to have fresh minds to teach them about the great outdoors, eh? 🥰😉
        We’ll always miss our furry pals. Aero was such an adorable charmer.

        That’s awesome that your 30 young trees are having such a great impact on the bird show. We’ve been feeding our birds and are seeing the new arrivals, but nothing like your show!

        Thank you – I hope you have a great week too!

        Liked by 1 person

  7. What a wonderful post, Terri. I love the dog photos especially. I miss all my dogs.
    I’m lucky my daughter and grandson only live an hour away, I can’t even image a journey of 1350 miles! I feel like you do about visiting birds and we have nesting ones again this year.
    Thanks for this challenge, I didn’t even know there was a national kids and pets day!

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    • Thank you, Cathy. We visit Southern California 1-2 times a year to visit family and grandchildren. We could never have retired in San Diego, too expensive to live there.

      I’ve explored the national days website when I need inspiration for my SS challenges. There are several pet days to enjoy. Have a great week!

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  13. Such a heartwarming set of quotes with our theme this week. There is something to be said about having a loyal companion in the form of a pet to enhance our wellbeing and day to day lives. Lovely dogwood photos definitely brightened my morning. I’m not sure we’ll be lucky enough to end up with grandkids, or at least not in our younger retirement years. I may have to borrow my friends 😅.

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  26. Pets and Kids — when I read your first note, Terri, I was looking forward to what I was going to hear. Brodie’s artistic photo was just the beginning. Your song captions for the photos you shared were so vivid. Just like the photos, the music was also beautiful. You created a timeless soundtrack from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Simon & Garfunkel. There is something there for every musical taste. The common threads we find here are the beautiful memories you shared with the photos. Thanks for the great gallery and songs.

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    • Thank you for such a wonderful compliment, Egidio! This was truly an interesting challenge and you set the stage for creativity. At first I worried that folks were going to include song lyrics in their posts which are copyright infringements. But song titles are free to use and publish. Now you know my age judging by my soundtrack, LOL! I love photography and blogging is such a nice way to share our talents. And thanks for a fabulous theme this week.

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  29. Terri,

    The picture of Brodie, the love bug, is special. We’ve been dogless for ten years and then Mortimer wandered into our life and I can’t imagine being without this thing with a “face that only a mother could love.” I love your Dogwood pictures–ours have bloomed and gone so, enjoy them while they last. Have a wonderful week! Here’s my contribution to National Pet Day:

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    • Thank you, Joe. Brodie is so much fun to photograph. His expressions are priceless. Little Aero was fun too but he was more stalwart than Brodie. I’m glad Mortimer wandered into your life ; you are all blessed to have each other.
      This year’s dogwoods haven’t bloomed just yet. Another week, perhaps and I will really enjoy them.

      What a sweet Pic of Mortimer. So adorable.

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  32. Terri – I remember how sad it was to lose Gideon and Aero the same year and, it is that grief factor of loving an animal and losing it, that holds me back from getting another pet, but I know I have a lot of love to give to a pet. When I first started college I wanted to be a veterinarian and my parents were willing to fund that goal, but my math and science grades were not good. I likely would have had a difficult time seeing animals suffer, so perhaps it is for the best.

    I do love birds, having grown up with and in adulthood had parakeets and canaries. I catered to the outside birds for years, until a neighbor brought rats by leaving his dog out 24/7/365 and the pest control service said I could no longer feed and give them water. A sad day for me.

    Your dogwood trees in this post are just beautiful. Their beauty is so fleeting. Your song titles and quotes are so perfect within this post.

    Well I have no kids and am “petless” now, so I have written about the litany of pets loved and lost through the years … there are many unfortunately, so here is that post:

    Pets loved and lost along the way ….

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      • Those were never subjects I excelled in. They are clamoring for vets nationwide these days – the schooling is lengthy and costly. My vet office for my canaries Sugar and Buddy was a husband and wife and she was an avian specialist. They had a parrot who loved spaghetti, so it got a paper plate of spaghetti on the floor of its cage every time the family had spaghetti for dinner.

        I’ll look forward to seeing your dogwood shots … they are beautiful bushes.

        Liked by 1 person

  34. Dogs sure keep the heart strings pulled, don’t they! Your granddaughters are so cute!!
    I’ve gone a slightly different direction, and the story is about grandkids but the photos aren’t. Hope that’s OK!

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    • Thank you, Debbie! Glad you noticed the segue from dogs to dogwoods. 😄 I wanted to tie spring into the post. I thought I had a picture of Brodie smelling flowers but couldn’t find it. Off to check your out!

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    • Thank you, John. That filtered shot of Brodie is one of my favorites. I used to walk Gideon and Aero together on a v-shaped lead since they were closer in size and they trotted along together so nicely. Tried that with Aero and Brodie and Aero hated it 🤣

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  44. I never realized it was an actual “day”. How cool. I love the watercolor of Brodie. Gorgeous. We always had pets growing up, but my hubby isn’t a big pet fan, and if we don’t have the time for them, I’d rather not have any. I LOVE dogwoods. I’ve always thought I’d love a dwarf one somewhere near my house…however, where I see beauty, my hubby sees a mess when the petals fall. lol. Loved your post

    https://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2024/04/taking-in-life-around-me-sundaystills_30.html

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    • Thank you, Kirstin! I check the national days calendar which has a wealth of info. Our dogwood tree is young and a bit slow to bloom. I’m sure you can enjoy your local wildlife and call them your “pets.” 😄

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  47. What an adorable post, Terri. I loved the dogwoods as well as the dogs! I loved the picture of your niece and nephew by the pond. And, of course, it’s always good to see Aero again. 🙂 Your posts are like a fun visit with a friend, sitting on the couch thumbing through pictures together or good memories, and catching up on the times we weren’t together. 🙂

    As you know, pets is what has consumed our whole week. Goldie has been with us ten days now, and today for the first time she and Moji came face to face without Moji running for the high hills and Goldie right behind her. It wasn’t such a good potty day, though, having her first accident in about three days. She doesn’t know how to say, “me out now, or you’ll be sorry!” So all that is coming on my post tomorrow.

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    • What a sweet compliment, Marsha! I don’t always have pics of kids, I was happy to play with them on Easter. Sorry about Goldie’s accident, it happens. She’s probably old enough to feel bad about it. I’m looking forward to your post. 😀

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      • She did a real no no today. I was on the patio, and she was with me. I went out to cut a few dead flowers off my geranium on the outer patio, and she waked through the gate with me and kept on going! It took me a minute to get her back. She did not come when I called her, but looked back and kept going! I had to use my “sweet – you’re not in trouble – even though you are in trouble” voice.

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  48. Who would have thought there’s a national pets and children’s day, Terri. I never heard of it before, but I think everyday of the year is now filled with something that begins with ‘National.’ I remember talking to once about ‘National talk like a pirate day’ and you saying how much Hans would enjoy it. Just so you know, this year it’s on 19th September. I’ll leave it to you to tell him (or not).

    Where would I be without dogs in my life? You know how much I adore my two dogs. They mean the world to me, even if I do have to vacuum the house everyday during shedding season.

    I love the photos, but the dogwood tree is spectacular. I’ve not heard of it before, but I will ask my partner (who is the gardener) if they are in the UK.

    Here’s a link to a previous Wordless Wednesday post that includes Toby and Austin and all of their pals on a walk on the beach.

    http://hughsviewsandnews.com/2022/11/23/playtime-wordlesswednesday-photography/

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    • Thank you, Hugh! There are so many “national days” according to their calendar. I believe they collect their ideas from a variety of sources. It makes for good inspiration though 🙂

      I think dogwood trees like a dryer environment like we have here in the Spokane area. The dogwood tree bloom has the shape of the cross on it’s petals.

      I just love this post and remember seeing it. All those dogs on the beach look like they’re having a wonderful time. I agree about the dog hair. Brodie sheds daily and my vacuum cleaners (yes plural) do a great job!

      I’ll be sure to remind Hans about national talk like a pirate day…”aaarrr!” 🙂

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  54. Great photos of your pets, dogs, and birds, Terri! I only had a dog and a cat for my daughter when she was young. Lynton is not fond of having pets. My daughter has two kittens for my grandkids. I was going to post but busy with our visitor.

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