legs and dogs
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: Until One Has Loved an Animal…

Hot on the heels of last week’s Earth Day celebrations is National Kids and Pets Day, recognized annually on April 26th. Our Sunday Stills theme this week is sharing images of children of all ages and any critters you consider pets.

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

This day “was first created in 2005 by Colleen Paige, a celebrity pet and family lifestyle expert, 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

These are my nieces from years ago. Amber liked being a leopard.

children
Nieces dressed up

I went deep into my archives to discover images of kids and pets together. I discovered a wonderful set of images taken during the 2016 Christmas holidays on Coronado Island in San Diego.

“Give a boy a dog and you’ve furnished him a playmate.” – Berton Braley

boys and dog
people dogs
A late December day at Dog Beach, Coronado Island

“Teach them to be kind to animals, and they will grow up to be kind people, too.” – Unknown

Beach Reflections
What’s Better than walking on the beach with your dog?

legs and dogs

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” – Anatole France

Me and My Aero
Me and My Aero, 2020
two dogs
Which Way?
Brodie at dog-friendly restaurant

“I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being”. – Abraham Lincoln

Backyard Critters

Does your backyard get visitors of the furred and feathered kind? Because they are wild, they are not “pets,” but you likely have an affection for them. We do. This young doe (mule deer) did not seem bothered by having her picture taken. *Most bird photography was taken with my Lumix camera.

mule deer

“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.” – John Muir

bird
Vigilant Say’s Phoebe
robin
Robin
Mule deer at the bird feeder
Annas Hummingbird
Annas Hummingbird
Western Bluebird
Western Bluebird
four light brown Phoebe fledglings
Fledgling Phoebes
Hatchlings ready to eat!
Hatchlings are ready to feed!

No pets, critters, or birds to call your own? Animal shelters are always looking for volunteers to walk their dogs or donate unwanted blankets and linens.

Shopping cart for donations

And this just in! My neighbor’s Fjord horse just birthed her sweet little foal this week! Photo captured with a long zoom from my Lumix camera.

horse
Fjord Horse and Foal

Joining Debbie’s One Word Sunday: Texture for the first time. You’ll note the textures in the fur and feathers. Apparently, I can still use words.

Also, a last-minute add to Lens-Artists: Cinematic. After all, this is “Sunday Stills.”

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. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently from mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link to 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.

I can’t wait to see how you interpret this week’s theme! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme.

Join me next week as we explore May’s monthly color theme: PASTELS. Please note May’s theme changes due to my travel to Arizona. Themes for MAY are ready to view on my Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Page. This page is updated monthly.

  • May 4 Monthly Color Challenge: Pastels
  • May 11 NO CHALLENGE
  • May 18 Flight
  • May 25 NO CHALLENGE

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86 comments

  5. Terri,

    We went petless for about 10 years after having nine dogs and three cats over about 45 years. Then, Mortimer arrived as a one-year old rescue. I’ve never had a dog that I loved more than this chunky love sponge. Your bird pictures are a lot of fun, and the young foal is precious. You and Hans are so fortunate to live where you have an abundance of wildlife. Enjoy your week!

    Here’s Mortimer.

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  7. Your nieces were so cute in their costumes, Terri! 😀 Dogs and water look natural together. Sadly, mine hates getting wet, but we’re working on that. 😏 Those double leashes come in handy, don’t they?

    That’s a lovely pic of you and Aero. Sweet memories, no doubt.💞 Brodie is also very photogenic. Love the wild life photos! Last week, we found a possum curled up on one of our deck chairs. Good thing Zoey didn’t notice. 😬 She’s a hunter by nature.

    Late entry: https://thedogladysden.com/pets-sundaystills-photography/

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    • Thank you, Debbie! Aero hated the water but obviously Brodie loves it. It’s been a while since I’ve seen possums, they were around in Sacramento. I never get tired of seeing our wildlife, but the deer are blocked from our garden! Great to see your link.

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  8. We went to the Tulip farm on Sunday, two days ago. The flowers were pretty done. We wanted to go earlier by the tickets were sold out. 4/27 was the last day of the festival. The grandkids had a blast with the rides. Autumn wanted to go again.

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  10. Terri, since I posted on Saturday night to get my Earth Day post on last week’s Sunday Stills Challenge, it didn’t dawn on me until just now that I didn’t read a Sunday post from you. It did not appear in MY Reader, so I just went on your site and am viewing it in Reader this way – sigh. I thought I had to re-subscribed, but it still shows me as subscribed on your actual site and here in Reader. Although I remain committed to my “no more pets rule” I do see heartwarming pictures like you have and know a pet would enhance my life immensely. I have not had a dog since 1965, but our family got a lot of enjoyment out of our pet parakeets and canaries through the years.

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      • Now today I got your post in Reader as usual. For bloggers that post on a regular schedule, we realize a post is missing and for random posters, it could be awhile before we notice something is amiss. Today’s screensaver on Windows 11 was Antelope Canyon with that beam of sunlight going in that you took photos of. Yes, I count my wild pets and enjoy feeling like Snow White. At the Park today we now have some newbies: the first goslings (only two though), five herons (usually there’s only one) and a Flicker. So that is promising.

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    • I understand folks who choose not to have a pet. It’s a big commitment. The key to travel is to have someone you trust to pet-sit, or take it with you, like we do. The foal is just amazing! Thank you, Janis!

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  20. We recently had a National Pets Day in the UK, but it was in March, Terri. There seems to be a National Day of something almost everyday now. Remember when I told you about ‘National Talk Like A Pirate Day,’?

    I can’t image life without my two dogs, although I only have to think back to pre 2012 before we got Toby to know what it will have been like. But life was very different then.

    As we live near a beach, our two dogs love it there. For Austin it’s more about going in the sea, but Toby enjoys a gentle stroll along the sand (when it’s not too hot). The cooler months are best for them.

    I adore the wildlife you have in your garden. Does any of it do any damage, through? We get visits from foxes and other nighttime creatures so don’t get to see them very much. They always let us know they visited, though.

    Have a great week.

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    • We love our pets, Hugh. There is a national day, week, and month for everything! I couldn’t imagine life without our dogs either. I still miss Aero. I’m sure your pups love strolling on the beach with you. The sand must feel good on their paws.

      We feel so blessed to be visited by birds and random critters like deer. Deer can be destructive but we have fences protecting gardens and trees. Wishing you a great week ahead!

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    • Thank you so much, Diana! I took those pics in December 2016 with my then-new camera. I was delighted with their outcome and they still stand the test of time pulling many out of the archives and editing them for publication. I hope your Sunday is relaxing. We just gave Brodie our dog a bath and some grooming–we’re pooped! 😀

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  28. Oh, you have some gorgeous images of kids and pets!! I especially love those taken at the beach! I’m still busy sorting through road trip photos, but I’m hoping to come back later this week to join the challenge with my favorite pets. 🙂

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  34. Nothing’s better than walking on the beach with my dogs? I never thought of myself as a dog person and now I would never be without them. A super post with great photos and quotes.

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