Tell us about your pets?
I have ten pets of my own! I have two geckos, a skink, a snake, a mouse, a tarantula, and four guinea pigs. My guinea pigs are the lights of my life, and I spend lots of time caring for them and improving their cage. Their names are Betty, Morty, Holly, and Petunia. Holly is Petunia’s mom, and it’s been interesting watching how guinea pigs parent their young! I adopted Betty and Morty from a pet store, and betty is a little pirate pig with only one eye. Morty is my neutered boar, and he’s a drama king! He often demands his veggies with loud “wheek” noises. I adore all my fur babies! I also share three cats and a dog with my family! My cats’ names are Coco, Henry, and Laney. Coco and Henry are siblings, and it is so fun watching them grow up together! They are five now, and we got them when they were kittens. Laney is my old lady; she’s a thirteen-year-old tortoiseshell who is the queen of the house. My dog, Lily Belle, is an eleven-year-old chihuahua-labrador mix. She looks more like a corgi-lab mix; she has a long body and short legs. She’s got the signature lab tail, though. She loves playing despite her old age, and she always has a ball with her!
What is the funniest or most memorable experience you’ve have with an animal?
My cat, Henry, is a drama king regarding collars. He also is very rough with his collar, so we have to get him a new one every couple of months. One time, we got him a new collar and went to put it on him. We got it on the right size setting, letting him go so he could walk around with it on. He proceeded to bolt around the house, hissing and growling. He ran up and down the stairs, under all the beds; I think he ran around the entire house. Safe to say he was NOT a fan of that collar! We caught him and got it off of him, and he was fine, but my mom and I had a good laugh after everything calmed down!
Why do you love working with animals?
I take things one step at a time, so I don’t have an ultimate goal besides getting my degree and possibly going further in my education after my Bachelor’s. I adore school, and I’m very academically oriented. Right now, I’m doing my general studies at Collin College in Frisco and leaning toward political science or journalism as my major. I’m interested in writing news articles or working for politicians for my career. I’d love to one day in the future settle down in Oklahoma, as it’s a beautiful state and it’s not far from home. I could see myself opening an animal sanctuary if I settled down there. I am also working on getting better at my main hobby of crochet, and I hope to one day crochet a whole blanket.
What do our pet friends teach us?
My pets have taught me responsibility, respect, and patience. Animals teach responsibility because they rely on us to care for them. I’m grateful to my pets for teaching me more responsibility. Animals teach us respect because you can’t earn an animal’s trust if you don’t respect them and their boundaries as a pet. Finally, animals teach us patience by not always doing what we want them to do at that moment! This has led me to stay calm, be patient, and wait for the animal to be ready. As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned patience actually is a virtue, and thank goodness our pet friends help us out and teach it to us!