Students and Their Pets

April 23, 2010  
Filed under Feature

There are several valuable lessons you learn when you are young—“honesty is the best policy,” “do not count your chickens before they are hatched” and “mind your P’s and Q’s.” Perhaps one of the most important life lessons is that of responsibility. As the high school years drag on, there are numerous ways that students learn what it takes to be responsible; whether it be through owning a car, acquiring a job or even taking on additional loads at school. However, many Ottawa students are quickly picking up on accountability through a duty a little closer to home: owning and taking care of pets.

When you think of a family pet, what does your mind instantly refer to? Loyal dogs, a friendly kitten, maybe even a rabbit? Well how about a peacock? Or a monkey?  Probably not the latter. However, for some students, unusual animals (like the monkey or peacock) act as the typical, beloved Fido of the family.  Sophomores Alicia Jackson, Cadence Ishmael and Joselynn Dean are all owners of unique animals that repeatedly teach them different lessons.

“We have normal pets, like dogs and cats, then the cool ones, like a peacock and Jacob Sheep, and baby goats,” Ishmael said. “My mom thought it’d be fun to have a peacock and our neighbor bought it for us.”

Jackson, too, has an abundance of pets: three rats, 35 goats, two chickens, three ducks, three cats, five dogs, one goose and one fish. Sounds like a full plate, huh?

It is clear both Ishmael and Jackson have their hands full of responsibilities owning so many animals. Jackson confessed that it is very hard.

“My rats are the hardest to take care of,” Jackson said. “You have to clip their nails and give them wooden blocks so their teeth don’t get too long. Or else they’ll bite their gums.”

Ishmael also admitted it is difficult to take care of all the animals, in addition to dealing with school and extra-curricular activities.

“It’s a challenge to keep it [the peacock] healthy,” Ishmael said. “Exotic animals sometimes need special care. You have to take time out of the day, like from homework and stuff.”

Dean is another who owns an odd pet; she is the proud owner of a young monkey named Zero. A strange pet such as this requires even stranger and more demanding responsibilities. According to Dean, responsibility is a big part of having a monkey because it’s pretty much like a baby—you have to change its diaper and feed it.

What sort of routines are typical with this atypical pet? Dean said waking it up in the morning and getting it out of its diaper and into its high chair is standard morning procedure. This privileged pet plays during the day and eats dinner with the family. Additionally, Zero is occasionally given a bath and he even has his own bed.

Taking care of this cute animal may seem like a piece of cake, but do not be fooled: it is not always a sweet, easy job.

“You always have to get up and change the diaper,” Dean said. “You can never just sleep in and forget about it.”

As hard as it is for Jackson, Ishmael and Dean to keep up with their pets, being an owner has its rewards.

“I like to play with them,” Ishmael said. “Like the baby goats. If you let them out, they follow you everywhere and they’ll suck on your finger.”

Jackson likes to play with her rats and even lets her favorite one sleep on her pillow. Dean, too, enjoys playing with her special animal.

“The most fun thing about having a monkey is probably wrestling with him or taking him for weird walks. He has a leash and a little outfit.”

There are many fun and exciting parts to being a pet owner and clearly it is not all pretty work. Owning a pet requires diligence, dedication and ultimately responsibility to take exceptional care of a living creature. However, no matter how much hard work it takes to own a pet, there is no doubt that having and loving that special friend will be its own reward!

NEWSPAPER STAFF: If you could own any pet in the world, what would it be and why?

Danon Taylor [10]: “A baby piglet, that didn’t squeal when you picked it up, because that’s why it didn’t work out the first time I had one.”

Chelsea McComb [12]: “A zebra, because no one has zebras, and not one zebra is the same.”

Raeann Fisher [12]: “A chameleon, because they always look different. And do you know anyone that has a chameleon? No, you don’t!”

Haley Butler [11]: “A flying fox, it’s a kind of bat. And I would name it Fig.”

Tayler Guge [11]: “A lion cub, because I just love things that are really small and cuddly.”

Crystal Holly [11]: “A penguin, because of the movie Happy Feet.”

Taylor Koberlein [12]: “A jellyfish, because when I see them on the TV or something, they just look so calm and pretty.”

Laura Stinebaugh [11]: “Jungle Carpet Python, because they look freakin’ sweet.”

Jaime Birzer [10]: “A horse, because it would be fun to ride all the time.”

Abby New [12]: “An elephant, because he would protect me.”

Schuyler Foulke [12]: “A manatee, and you should know why.”

Angela Geist [11]: “A hippopotamus, because Mr. Huseman told me I that I should.”

Dana Peterson [10]: “A dog, because they’re nice.”

Ms. Wilmes: “Sadie, because I love her to death.”

Ms. Ross: “A monkey, because I could train it to do things for me.”

—–
Jamie Birzer

Tags:

 Email This Post        Print This Post