Sometimes playful puppies can be hard to photograph. They want to play, romp, jump, twist, roll... anything but sit still for a photograph. But cute little Holly was an exception. Not only was she cute as can be, but she was such a willing and photogenic puppy!
She was picked up stray by an animal control officer on December 2, 2019. I was surprised that nobody came to claim this sweet little girl. But that made someone else very happy because she was adopted into a new, loving home on December 9, 2019!
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Cornbread was a big bulldog that seemed to take a while to get out of the animal shelter. But every dog has his day! He was turned in as a stray on November 18, 2019. As beautiful as he was, no owner came looking for him. And for some reason, it seemed the rescues were avoiding him. But on December 9, 2019, an unprecedented long hold of 21 days, a woman was waiting out front the shelter at 7:20 AM wanting to adopt him! Her application was good and he went home with her to Milledgeville!
Williamwisephoto Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, You made the earth overflow with Your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message Unfortunately my Saturday long runs seem to be "roadkill observation days." This morning's run on the outskirts of Athens revealed this poor owl lying just off the side of the road. It did not appear to have been dead long, so was probably hit last night.
“Bogo” was pretty rough looking when he first got to the animal shelter. He was picked up stray by an animal control officer on November 25, 2019 during the Thanksgiving weekend. He was thin, had a skin condition and a good bit of hair loss. But deep down he was a gem! He posed pretty well for his adoption photography portraits and that handsome side showed through. He was finally rescued on December 7, 2019 by Second Chance Habitat Rescue! He was sponsored by pledged donations to the rescue from Nancy, Becky, Anne and Jason.
"Kringle" was brought in to the animal shelter as a stray on December 5, 2019. This sad boy looked in pitiful condition. He was underweight, missing hair and was heartworm positive. Knowing he'd be a little bit harder to re-home, I didn't want to waste time and took his adoption photos and video the next morning.
Almost right away Kringle got some adoption interest. But because of logistics those adoptions didn't go through. But on December 10, he was picked up by Atlanta Lab Rescue! His rescue was sponsored by donations to ALR from Eileen, Cindy and Anne.
I thought Dewey was a really cute dog. So I was surprised when the rescues weren't coming for him. I guess it was a bit of that nervous look in his photos. But he had a cute nubby tail and a gentle, submissive personality. He was picked up stray by an animal control officer on November 25, 2019. He sat in the shelter for 11 days until a family, who actually came to look at another dog, ended up falling in love with Dewey, and Dewey fell in love with their kids! He was adopted on December 6, 2019!
Creation Speaks is a Biblical teaching ministry that uses nature writing and photography to glorify our Creator and teach the truth of creation. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" Job 12:7-9 Genesis 2:15 "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." In 1956, a vandal walked into a museum in France and intentionally threw acid at the famous Mona Lisa painting. Not only was this a pointless act to devalue a work of art, but also an affront to the artwork’s creator, Leonardo Da Vinci. In addition, the vandal’s actions could have destroyed the opportunity of all future generations to appreciate the famed piece of art. We might argue whether or not this action was morally wrong, but I’m sure most of us would agree that it was senseless, disrespectful and selfish. The act of tossing trash outdoors may not seem as immediately egregious as tossing acid on the Mona Lisa, but is it any less senseless and selfish? And while littering may not be a sin, as a Christian I’d say that the intentional trashing of our planet is disrespectful to the Creator and His workmanship. DEVALUING THE ENVIRONMENT“What’s the big deal? It’s just one plastic bottle tossed out the car window. What is that going to hurt?” Well, as living beings on this planet that require clean air and water for life, it could potentially hurt quite a bit! There is a scientific term called Bioaccumulation. Basically, this is the gradual build of up harmful substances within an organism. Through studies, we have seen the effects of pesticides and toxins in birds and other species. We humans have even poisoned ourselves with mercury, radiation and other cancer-causing pollutants. A healthy, clean environment has value. Over time, that “one piece of trash” tossed out thousands upon thousands of times will accumulate into who-knows-what unknown disease. DESTROYING THE ENJOYMENT OF OTHERSI know I am not alone in my love of the outdoors. The United States Bureau of Economic Analysis published that “the U.S. outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.2 percent ($427.2 billion) of current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017.”[i] From bikers to birders, campers to climbers, fishermen to photographers, hikers to hunters, and skiers to sailors, over 140 million Americans participate in outdoor activities each year.[ii] I’m sure each one of those people would prefer a pristine, natural landscape over trash-filled lakes and parks that resemble landfills. Like our Mona Lisa vandal, littering is a selfish act which robs future generations of a healthy environment. disrespecting the artistTo disrespect a work of art is to disrespect the artist. In divine wisdom and power, God has designed a beautiful, self-sustaining home for His creatures. One of my favorite passages from The Message Bible paraphrases Psalms 104 as, “What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, You made the earth overflow with Your wonderful creations.” I believe that to show no respect for this world of which we have been appointed stewards and caretakers is to equally show contempt for this world’s Creator, the divine Artist. [i] https://www.bea.gov/data/special-topics/outdoor-recreation I recently found a copy of the book Latin for Bird Lovers by Roger Lederer and Carol Burr. Along with quite a bit of other fascinating information, the primary purpose of the book is to shed lights on species by defining their Latin names. Since I came across this Orange-crowned Warbler today, I decided to look it up. It appears that the species name celata means “secret” or “hidden”, which is a reference to the orange feathers on its head which are almost never visible. But not only was its orange crown hidden from me, but its entire body is hidden for most of the year in my part of the United States, the southeast. I’ve only seen this little, plain warbler on a few occasions. For fun, I looked on my checklists and found that my last photograph of an Orange-crowned Warbler came exactly 1 year and 2 days ago on December 3, 2018! -Walton County, Georgia
“Nutmeg” was pregnant pitbull impounded during a neglect investigation by animal control on November 19, 2019. A few days after she was picked up, her owner was arrested on other charges but denied he owned her.
During the required hold period, Nutmeg gave birth to nine beautiful puppies. She and her puppies were transferred to a rescue group on December 4, 2019! A lot of kind-hearted people (Polly, Nancy, Becky, Anne and Jason) pulled together and made donations to the rescue that saved her and the pups. Williamwisephoto Nature Notes is a wildlife, landscape, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. -- Jeremiah 8:7 "Even the stork that flies across the sky knows the time of her migration, as do the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane. They all return at the proper time each year." When cold weather begins to set in, many of us wish that we could, like the birds, “fly south for the winter.” Many birds migrate north and south seasonally, but there are also many that stay put year round. These birds are termed resident birds. At any time of the year, from the sweltering of summer to the crisp of winter, I can go out to the retention pond behind my office and find our resident Mallard. He was put on the pond with a few others several years ago and, even when his migrating fellows call as they pass overhead, he has been quite content to stay year round. His permanency is most likely due to his regular feedings from employees that visit the pond on breaks. A little less conspicuous are the Great Blue Herons. I may not see them every day, but if I go birding consistently, I’m bound to run across one or two each week. I also frequently see them fishing the small ponds that dot the Walton and Oconee County landscapes on my drive to and from work year round. They will continue to return to productive fishing holes and may be reluctant to move on even in the cooler seasons. Birds aren’t the only species to fly the coop. There is a phenomenon in the church world known as “church hopping.” It seems that many Christians don’t feel the need for a long-term commitment to a home church. Instead of focusing on how they themselves can serve and grow a church, they up and leave after a year or so when they deem that “things aren’t happening.”
I suppose I am out of the norm by remaining in the same church for over 25 years now. Much of that is because of the grace of God in providing a healthy, growing church and a great pastor. But part of my faithfulness to one congregation is a conscious decision to submit to discipleship, headship and stay where God has planted me. But I certainly can’t complain. Because, like the heron and mallard on the pond behind my office, I’m very well fed and haven’t had the need to “migrate” elsewhere. I'm staying put! Walton County, Georgia Donald was a really skinny Boxer dog that was turned in stray to the animal control shelter on November 25, 2019. He tested heartworm negative and was dewormed twice, but no matter what we did it seemed he didn't gain much weight. But thankfully he was adopted on December 2 and on the way to the care he deserved. |
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