When sophomore Mary Walsh was in second grade, she wrote an entire series on her pug, Pudgie. The book, called “Pudgie’s Great Adventures,” was about how Walsh “woke up one morning and Pudgie could talk to me, and she had to- save the world from evil cats.” Although it was never published, Pudgie’s great adventures live on.
In addition to snuggling and “talking baby-talk to her,” Walsh enjoys how Pudgie, her dog of eight years, “does a dance for her food and snores.” What else makes this pug so loveable? “The fact that she’s so ugly she’s cute,” Walsh answered. Walsh’s love for Pudgie won’t end when she goes to college. When the said day comes, Walsh plans on “getting her a giant bone that she can eat forever.”
Cara Sierks, a sophomore, is the proud owner of Winnie, a cockapoo, named after the “Arthur” character Dora Winifred. Sierks has had Winnie since the summer of eighth grade. She described some of Winnie’s unique traits. “She can go through an agility course and jump over barriers and through frames.” Sierks went on to add, “She’s training to become a canine good citizen dog where she’d go to hospitals and cheer up sick kids.” On top of all this, Winnie can also “catch a Frisbee,” an activity Sierks enjoys doing with Winnie in addition to “taking her to the dog park.”
Senior Allie Aufderheide is a fan of cats. “When I see a cat, I give it a big hug,” she said. Aufderheide has three pet cats herself, which she really likes because they are “soft and cuddly.”
Senior Piper Bain shares her home with a plethora of various pets. “I have a cat named Picasso or Mocha or Latte, I’m not really sure…I have a bird named Opal, and some fish named Nemo, Loosey, Jacques, Sunshine, and Bonzai.” She went on to say, “I feed them once in a while and I kick them around and call them names. I pet them with my foot. I actually like the fish because they make no noise.” When Bain goes to college next year, she said, “I’ll make a shrine for my pets at my college dorm. They’re really important to me. I’ll probably get a replacement fish, like a beta fish, maybe call it Fishie.” Bain, who once had a dog, often thinks about what dog heaven would be like. “They’re probably prancing around. I think they all have a limp there, so that they can all be equal.”
Interested in a getting a pet for yourself? Among other various options, cats and dogs are available for adoption at the Golden Valley Humane Society. The Adoption Center there is open from 12:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on weekends.
