Five-year-old Sara Olivia and Madelyn Manspeaker, age two, along with their big cousin Hana Whitfield, 13, are shown here with a couple of kids known as Comet and Cupid. The baby goats were named after Santa’s reindeer since they were born the Wednesday before Christmas. The highlight of the girls’ day is going with Papa (Ralph Whitfield) to feed all the animals which include goats, chickens, a donkey and dog at his home in Liberty County.
Cassidy Gurliaccio, 14, of Blountstown is shown here with her 10-month-old Dachshund she calls Chip. She took Chip to Goat Day last year and the two enjoy going for long walks, swimming and playing outside. Chip loves being indoors and is not picky when he gets sleepy – he just settles into the first bed he comes to, Cassidy says. Cassidy attends Blountstown Middle School and is the daughter of Robert and Melissa Gurliaccio.
Dylan Chester of Bristol is shown with his special friend, a five-month-old hunting dog he named Daisy. The puppy was a gift for Dylan’s birthday last August. The two love going to the woods, where Dylan enjoys turning Daisy loose to chase deer. Dylan is the son of Matthew and Lanet Chester, and has a sister, Sara Kate.
Hoot and his caretaker, Brenda Klinger, at the Panhandle Pioneer Settlement behind Sam Atkins Park in Blountstown, model their Christmas headgear. Hoot gives special meaning to the term “the Christmas Goose” when school children come to the Settlement on field trips. He enjoys visiting with them and being petted very much. Hoot and his buddies in the bird pen – pheasants, peacocks, guinea hens ducks and chickens – receive loving, hands-on care and attention from Brenda. As beloved pets, they are exempt from the fate usually reserved for their species, and instead, are cherished as ambassadors to the people...
Conner Rogers got his Christmas present a few days early when his mother, Nikki Bernhard, brought home an eight-week-old White English Bulldog puppy. “They’re both very rambunctious. They’re into everything and are partners in crime,” his mother says. Conner, who is 20 months old, and his mother live in Blountstown with his grandmother, Ann French, and their new pet, who has been named Lulu. Conner and Lulu already have one thing in common – both have a leash! Lulu’s is pink and Conner’s (specially designed for toddlers, of course) is blue.
Audrey Eubanks is shown here with her constant companion, a rat terrier she calls Sadie. The little dog was a Christmas present in 2008. “I don’t know what I’d do without her,” says Audrey, although their first day together didn’t go so well. She said she and her father, Bennett Eubanks, picked up the puppy and on the way home, they stopped by the woods to check on a piece of property in the Ocheesee area. When they got out of the truck, Sadie jumped out and ran off across a field. She didn’t respond to pleas to come...
Jared Holcomb, 7, is shown with his newest buddy, a mixed breed puppy he calls Rusty, who lives with his grandparents, Trish and Royce Holcomb of Bristol. Rusty came knocking on their door a little over a month ago during a family gathering. Now, he’s one of the family. “Royce fell in love with him,” says Trish Holcomb. “He waits for Royce to come home each day to let him out of the pen. Every afternoon when Royce rides his four-wheeler to the garden, Rusty rides with him,” she says. Jared, the son of Pat Holcomb, comes to play...
Chloe Rainwater, 9, is shown here with her dad, Marc Rainwater, and her dog, Stuart, who is a chihuahua-terrier mix. While the Rainwater family enjoys visits to Liberty County to hunt deer, Stuart’s passion in life is to hunt socks. He takes them from the laundry basket at home and piles them up in his crate. He enjoys playing with the toys the family makes for him out of old socks. Chloe often feeds Stuart his favorite treat, peanut butter, and enjoys the faces he makes while trying to lick the sticky stuff off the roof of his mouth....
J.J. Lytle of Blountstown is shown here with his new best friend, a chicken he met at last month’s Goat Day and named “Leroy.” J.J. happened to be looking at the animals in the petting zoo area and was asked to help by holding the chicken so kids could pet it. He obliged and a friendship was born. “I guess we bonded,” laughs J.J. The unusual chicken, known as a Silkie, has a feathery top that looks like a headdress and attracts a lot of attention. “It was almost like fur…it was really cool,” J.J. said. When asked to...
Sara-Kate Chester got a new pet recently, a white rabbit she calls “Sparkles.” The six-year-old girl is the daughter of Matthew and Lanet Chester of Bristol. The family has a hyperactive chocolate lab and a couple of cats but a rabbit seemed like a perfect companion for this little girl. Sparkles lives in a sheltered pen outside the Chester home. Sara-Kate lets the rabbit out of its pen every afternoon and they play in the grass while she feeds the bunny carrots and other treats.
