Covid Companions: Alta Vista's four-legged friends
Emma cuddling with Canilla
As freezing Northern winds bring in November’s first hefty snowfall, dropping a good 10 centimetres onto frozen soil, two golden retrievers squirm like worms in the faded canary interior of a suburban mudroom. Alta Vista resident Emma Davila-Sanchez gathers her snow pants into clumping piles. With a keen shine of the eye penetrating through her pink frames, the dogs know it’s snowball time.
As the dogs scamper in excited circles, tails wagging about, I listen as Emma coddles one then the other into her small hands. “We just got Canilla, and the other older one is Cody. They’re half-siblings!” she exclaims with tings of excited exasperation lingering in her voice.
Like many others during the pandemic, the Sanchez family have joined the massive crowd of so-called “quarantine-pets.” Canilla and Cody make for great company. This moment filled with laughter and sloppy dog drool, I wonder to myself just how much of an impact pets have made on teens like myself during times of hardship.
Grade 10 student Angus Albinati and his poodle-cross Sneakers stare blankly into a loading Google Meet. Wrapped in a blanket, the two indulge the slow comforting marination of indoor warmth. Despite being an avid crowd-pleaser, the dangers of indoor crowded spaces has driven the lively student to confine to eLearning.
“I miss the social aspect of school, but love spending time with my dog,” Angus remarks.
His lifelong admiration for animals morphed from snails to dogs. “I just wanted a friend, so my parents got him for my sixth birthday!” Throughout their eight years of companionship, the two have blossomed a cherishing bond.
The pandemic in particular striking a “changing dynamic” as he calls it, emotional bonds have grown as tight as glue, “because I’m an only child I definitely feel like he’s a big part of my life since I can’t see as many friends and people.”
Boxed into the endearing diameters of a Canterbury science lab, Kye Richardson’s mind steadily drones off into the past as the dragging four-hour class time begins to take its mental toll. She recounts her pet rats bursting with spontaneous affection and cunning intelligence.
"Rats have their own personalities, they’re the smartest rodents," she says. "I would be able to put them on my shoulders while I was doing my homework." Unfortunately, rats have a short life span of just two to three years in human captivity.
Lulu, her first rat, offered a flurry of learning experiences which Kye believes is vital for any new pet owner. “A big part of having your own pet,” she explains. Since then, she’s owned two brother rats, Ceasar and Dante.
Looking back on her experiences, Kye claims that rats frequent touch connections similar to that of your average dog or cat. “They get cuddler as they grow older,” she says.
Hands coated with invisible layers of public school sanitizer, Audrey Darovich strokes Momo’s soft caramel coat as he greets her at the entrance. Life with her domestic shorthair is described as “a little rocky.” Momo takes annoyed bites towards any incoming hand when picked up. “I’m one of the only people who he’ll stay with once picked up,” she says.
The pair enjoy short neighbourhood walks, both a reason to leave the house and to share “a little bonding moment” sitting on their favourite bench. “I often go to him when I’m sad and I feel like he can kind of tell, like he’ll stay calmer than usual,” Audrey claims.
Companions for a little over five years, the two have formed a unique trick routine prior to dinner, “he walks around my legs and knows how to give a high five!”
As the dogs scamper in excited circles, tails wagging about, I listen as Emma coddles one then the other into her small hands. “We just got Canilla, and the other older one is Cody. They’re half-siblings!” she exclaims with tings of excited exasperation lingering in her voice.
Like many others during the pandemic, the Sanchez family have joined the massive crowd of so-called “quarantine-pets.” Canilla and Cody make for great company. This moment filled with laughter and sloppy dog drool, I wonder to myself just how much of an impact pets have made on teens like myself during times of hardship.
Grade 10 student Angus Albinati and his poodle-cross Sneakers stare blankly into a loading Google Meet. Wrapped in a blanket, the two indulge the slow comforting marination of indoor warmth. Despite being an avid crowd-pleaser, the dangers of indoor crowded spaces has driven the lively student to confine to eLearning.
“I miss the social aspect of school, but love spending time with my dog,” Angus remarks.
His lifelong admiration for animals morphed from snails to dogs. “I just wanted a friend, so my parents got him for my sixth birthday!” Throughout their eight years of companionship, the two have blossomed a cherishing bond.
The pandemic in particular striking a “changing dynamic” as he calls it, emotional bonds have grown as tight as glue, “because I’m an only child I definitely feel like he’s a big part of my life since I can’t see as many friends and people.”
Boxed into the endearing diameters of a Canterbury science lab, Kye Richardson’s mind steadily drones off into the past as the dragging four-hour class time begins to take its mental toll. She recounts her pet rats bursting with spontaneous affection and cunning intelligence.
"Rats have their own personalities, they’re the smartest rodents," she says. "I would be able to put them on my shoulders while I was doing my homework." Unfortunately, rats have a short life span of just two to three years in human captivity.
Lulu, her first rat, offered a flurry of learning experiences which Kye believes is vital for any new pet owner. “A big part of having your own pet,” she explains. Since then, she’s owned two brother rats, Ceasar and Dante.
Looking back on her experiences, Kye claims that rats frequent touch connections similar to that of your average dog or cat. “They get cuddler as they grow older,” she says.
Hands coated with invisible layers of public school sanitizer, Audrey Darovich strokes Momo’s soft caramel coat as he greets her at the entrance. Life with her domestic shorthair is described as “a little rocky.” Momo takes annoyed bites towards any incoming hand when picked up. “I’m one of the only people who he’ll stay with once picked up,” she says.
The pair enjoy short neighbourhood walks, both a reason to leave the house and to share “a little bonding moment” sitting on their favourite bench. “I often go to him when I’m sad and I feel like he can kind of tell, like he’ll stay calmer than usual,” Audrey claims.
Companions for a little over five years, the two have formed a unique trick routine prior to dinner, “he walks around my legs and knows how to give a high five!”
Momo on his bench by Audrey Darovich
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Sneakers by Angus Albinati
Portrait of Lulu by Kye Richardson
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Momo on a skateboard by Audrey Darovich
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Ceasar (top) and Dante (bottom) by Kye Richarson
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