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The Power of Pets

2/22/2016

 
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By Emily Lewis

Almost everyone has heard the old saying: “A dog is a man’s best friend.” However, any pet can become a best friend.


Animals that were once considered to be exotic, such as lizards or snakes, are now becoming common household pets.


PictureIn Memoriam of Mudkip (2/19/2016); May his soul rest in peace.
Our fellow Business teacher at New Haven High School, Mrs. Strickland, owned her own exotic pet. “We had a Chinese water dragon. My nine year old son named him after the Pokemon character, Mudkip. He died from a seizure last Friday afternoon. Our previous lizard was a bearded dragon named Godzilla, who was 4 or 5 years old when he passed away in November.”


Most people get their pets from a family friend. Mrs. Strickland had to go to a pet store to find her “exotic” pet. On the other hand, in our agricultural community, many farm animals were bought through auctions or through other farmers.

Riley Otten described, “Because we own a farm, I have lots of animals. We get a lot of our cattle from auctions in Bowling Green or through other farmers.”

Over 74% of the students that responded to the survey have dogs as pets.

“I don’t ever want to have dogs. I have too many of them already. My parents wanted to start a dog kennel, but we ended up keeping them. When I move out, I will never get one. They’re too much work,” stated junior, Kim Hoffmann.

Any pet can be a lot to handle, but many students agree that they are well worth it. They can be loyal friends, just another family member, and good company to have around.

Ms.Kelly moved to the area this summer to start the year as our new upperclassmen English teacher. “When I first moved into my apartment, dogs weren’t allowed. I live alone, so I wanted some kind of companion. I didn’t fully consider the fact that fish aren’t very good companions and that they’re more for decoration purposes.”

Pets can cost a lot of money to take care of. Even fish can be a bit on the pricey side.

“I spent around $150 on supplies, food, and tank decorations for my Beta fish. They can live up to 5 years so I wanted it to live a long life. Also, I picked out the more expensive fish without looking at the price tag because it was prettier. I chose a $20 fish rather than a $5 one!” Ms.Kelly explained.

After coming to the realization that fish aren’t very good to keep as company, Ms. Kelly brought her dog home from her boyfriend’s house. “Even though my landlord initially told me that dogs weren’t allowed, I think he knows that I’ve been sneaking my dog, Tracker, into the apartment. He doesn’t seem too opposed to it anymore.”

All in all, most people can agree that pets make people smile. Just like any other family member, even when pets do stupid things, we can’t stay mad at them for long.

Brady Kruse, junior, demonstrated this kind of affection: “My stupid cat decided that it'd be a great idea to jump into the closed dog pen. But I like having it around, so I had to go save it while it scratched and bit me.”

Whether it’s a dog, a fish, a cat, or even a bearded dragon, people can’t imagine life without the small joy that pets bring into their lives.


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