Walnut High School - Cayuse Yearbook (Walnut, CA)

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There's no denying it - high school life is hard. There are times when a stu- dent feels as though everything is going impossibly wrong, with no end in sight. It's at times like these that a student needs someone to turn to, to confide in, someone to share the miseries, or may- be even the joys, of teenage life with. For some students, that someone was their pet. Pets came in all shapes and sizes, from the commonplace dogs and cats Qsome of which weren't so common- placeb to the not-so-common snakes, turtles, and horses. Turtles are fun pets, insisted fresh- man Angi Flores. One time I took my turtle into the back yard and painted its shell all different colors. Painting one's pet was not the only way to have fun, there was also the challenge of naming him, her, or it. Some students decided to name their pet Cookie, Spot, or some other stan- dard name. Those who spent more time :ON THE WAY TO THEIR NEW HOME, near- w1ns are led by out the gates by a Humane Society worker. Students looking for new pets, Often found them at the Humane Society. 20 Student Life!Pets and effort often came up with a more imaginitive, individual name. Take for instance Screamin' Otis, the late turtle-friend of junior Lisa Harrell. Or the distinguished cat Gern Bland- ston, dubbed such by owner junior Si- mone Sevilla. Sophomore Grace Domin- go found an interesting name for her dog - she calls her Pretzel. I try to pick a name that fits the animal, explained senior Kemp Wells. We had a buff dog, so we named him Rocky. We named our other dog Clyde because he was sort of mellow. The dog I have now is called Pookie, because he looks like one: he's a small, black, bouncy thing. Students often became very attached to their pets, considering them part of the family. Sometimes a pet was the perfect brother or sister: willing to lis- ten, warm and affectionate, and never occupying the bathroom at the wrong moment. Senior Michelle Melanson de- scribes her relationship with her dog Shanna in no uncertain terms: I love my baby more than anything else in the world. I'd die for her! This close attachment to one's pet sometimes ended in sadness, particu- larly when the pet died. Most students experienced a pet death at least once in their life, since pets rarely outlive their owners. The death of a well-loved pet could be a very traumatic experience. When my pet died I cried for a long time, recalled freshman Nerio Garcia. Pm sticking to stuffed animals now, because they never die. Most students preferred to take a chance and keep a pet, whether it was a dog, cat, snake or squirrel. Certainly there was no shortage of meaningful studentfpet relationships. Perhaps the old saying should be changed to read, A student's best friend is his pet. 8 V AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE FOR PETS waits patiently in the parking lot for an emergency call. The vehicle was also used to pick up stray animals. ' ' I -...ul W

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