QUARANTINE With Your pets
Ashley Nestor
Being home with our pets has meant that we get to spend so much more time with our adorable companions. Having more time to pet , dote, and coddle them has been enjoyable for many people in these hard times of being at home 24/7. All in all, I think everyone enjoys spending more time at home together.
My dog, Harper, is a mix of Yorkie and Toy Poodle, so she is a fairly small dog. Her main activity during the day is sleeping, and my brother and I will play fetch with her when we get home from school. Since most of her exercise is indoors, staying inside hasn’t disrupted her exercise schedule-- except now, she wants to play with her ball all the time, causing all of us to have to yell “no”. However, my mom used to leave her by herself with the radio on and a treat when she went to run errands because my dad would be working, and my brother and I would be at school. We’ve only left the house a couple of times as a family, so we try to give her treats for doing other things rather than staying home by herself. She’s also started sleeping in with us instead of waking up at 7:00, like she did on school schedules, and we no longer have to wake up early to let her out of her crate. So far, staying inside hasn’t changed anything major, except for the fact that we have more time to cuddle her! - Morgan Woodard |
|
I have two lovely animal companions, Isabella (Izzy), my cat, and Amari, my parakeet. I get to see them so much more in these times to dote on them. They both have unique routines, but they stick to them even in these times.
Izzy, my 11-year old cat, enjoys sleeping and lazing around the house, occasionally demanding petting from me. In the mornings however, she is the tyrant of food; she insists that her food bowl is full by 7 am sharp. Failure to comply by the nearest person means they are subjected to her sad cries and her running at their feet trying to guide them to her food bowl. These demands are, of course, fulfilled with extreme swiftness. Other than the mornings, you can find her around the house strategically trying to catch the best sunlight that comes in. Mid morning? Guest bedroom. Mid afternoon? Upstairs bedroom. Any time in between? Someone's lap. I love my fluffy fur-ball that I call a cat. |
Amari is the keeper of my work room. He likes to stay in his cage despite the top being open for him to fly at any time. Despite my attempts to gain his affection, he likes to be alone on one of his perches. For some reason, he just likes one, and he shuns the other one--it is never used. My small bird victory is that he enjoys squawking back to me whenever I'm talking, whether it be to a friend or to myself. My "talking" to him has only increased since being at home all the time. - Ashley Nestor |
The Pope family were also excited to add their own narrative and twist on writing about their pets by writing about their experiences in these times as their pets. Mrs. Pope, our adviser, joined in and wrote from the perspective of one of their dogs, Nandi, while her daughter, Tessa, wrote from the perspective of their other dog, Zoe. These dogs are well-loved and excited to be at home with their humans. Mrs. Pope has shared a video to show that Zoe was excited to be with the Pope family during these times.
"This is how excited Zoe gets for a walk. We think she has hyena in her." |
|
Hi. My name is Nandi. I’m a 12 year old, fruit-and-vegetable-and-really-any-food-(except mac and cheese)-loving dog. I am black and white and have a big black patch over my eye that makes me look like a pirate. My matie is Zoe, an irritating blonde furball whose anxiety and excessive energy drives me crazy. She also has this crazy, long tongue that hangs on the ground if she lowers her head just a little too much. Gross. Anyway, something weird is going on. Mom and Tessa and Ryan are home all the time. They sleep past five in the morning, which I’m kinda loving…we’re only getting up around 7:00 or 8:00. Past 8:00, though, I have to nudge mama a little. That’s way too late for breakfast…And then, the craziest thing, we hear these strange voices all the time. It drives both Zoe and me crazy. These voices appear to come out of nowhere. Mom, Tessa, and Ryan are glued to their black boxes. Do they not hear the strange voices, and then whenever we bark, we’re kicked out of the house. Is mom not aware that these voices are a threat? They appear to come from the black boxes, but again, these are crazy times. The best thing is the walks. We’ve gone walking almost every day. My 12-year-old heart loves it. AND Zoe, well, she’s besides herself, yelping with excitement, pulling mom’s arm out of her socket as she strains at her harness to go faster and harder than ever. By the time we get back from the walk, it’s dinner, and then nap time, and then when the night comes to an end, we head outside for the bathroom, head in for a treat, and wrap ourselves around mom for the best sleep ever…to start all over again with later mornings, voices from black boxes, and lovely evening walks. This is truly a blissful time. - Tania Pope |
Hi I’m Zoe, the sweetest and cutest two-year-old dog anyone has ever seen. There is something I need to tell you. Something very weird is going on. Mom, Tessa, and Ryan are here all the time. It’s only Dad who isn’t at home (I’m very glad he isn’t here, it seems he is mad at me almost all the time.) It is very exciting to have them home with me. I’m getting to go on a lot more walks, and I get to watch a lot more TV. I love watching TV. I see dogs on the thing all the time, which gives me a reason to bark. Not everything has changed though. I still sleep all morning while Mom, Tessa, and Ryan are doing things. I’m not sure what they're doing. It seems Ryan and Tessa keep getting super frustrated, and Mom keeps talking into her computer saying things like “AP Lang exam” and “I have so much to grade.” I think she’s gone a bit crazy. Who talks into a computer?! Anyway, just to remind you something is very weird. Please be on high alert. - Tessa Pope |