Seventh-grader Gavin Rakkit

Not many students can say that their morning routine includes a pet horse, but seventh-grader Gavin Rakkit’s routine includes two.

Rakkit adores his pet horses, Millie and Addison, but the thought never occurred to his family to own the animals until 2011 when Rakkit’s family bought their new house in Potomac.

“When we bought our house, we didn’t really buy it because we had horses,” Rakkit said. “We bought the house because we liked the house, but we also had a barn there, so we thought that we should try out riding horses. Then I just fell in love with the animal and so did my mom, so we just kept riding them.”

Every morning at 6 a.m. and every evening around 7:30 p.m., Rakkit and his family feed Millie and Addison, and turn them out to the field. This responsibility does not affect Rakkit’s schedule too drastically, beyond waking up early.

Rakkit’s family owns two acres of land, one acre for the horses and one acre for their home. So, Millie and Addison have plenty of room to graze.

Rakkit used to have three horses, but in December, his family had to put their horse, Forest, to sleep. This was very tough on Rakkit and his family because they felt that Forest was a “companion” to them.

Rakkit still does have a very close relationship with his two remaining horses, and appreciates their individual personalities and quirks.

“My horses have great personalities,” Rakkit said. “Millie is really energetic and Addison is happy and fat.”

Although to some, taking care of a farm animal might be seen as an inconvenience, Rakkit does not think so.

“Not when you like them,” Rakkit said. “Not when you love them.”

Senior Shira Gould

Every morning as the buzz of her alarm goes off, senior Shira Gould wakes up to see her dog, Tandi, staring at her clock, patiently waiting for the snooze button to be pressed. This experience is one of the many interactions Gould has adored with her dog of ten years.

While Tandi may show Gould the affection of a typical loving pet, Tandi is anything but average. Tandi’s hind legs are paralyzed as a result of a back surgery she had around six years ago. While Tandi’s disability does not impact Gould’s view of her, Gould acknowledges the challenges of owning a dog in Tandi’s situation.

“It definitely makes things a little more complicated, like she can’t go to the bathroom on her own and we can’t play with her without putting her in a wheelchair, we can’t walk her without a stroller,” Gould said. “She’s still a very happy dog and she’s still a huge pleasure to be around.”

Despite the extra responsibility that caring for Tandi requires, Gould and her family found that the time immediately before Tandi’s paralysis proved to be most difficult. Tandi had been experiencing sporadic back pain for years when Gould and her family finally decided to take her to the vet. At the time, Gould was in sixth grade. The vet found a disease in Tandi’s back, the correction of which required surgery. The vet told Gould and her family that Tandi would be fully cured after her surgery, but complications arose, paralyzing Tandi’s hind legs.

Gould feels a special bond with Tandi. Gould has one other dog and feels closer with Tandi, but does not know whether this is because of Tandi’s disability or simply her love for the dog.

Senior Eli Davis

When many think of a pet, the image of a cat curled up on a couch or a dog playing fetch will come to mind, but not for senior Eli Davis. Davis owns a pet guinea pig, two pet frogs and almost a dozen pigeons.

Davis owns his guinea pig because he thought it was a nice animal to have as a pet, and his frogs because he “wants a piece of the rainforest in [his] room.” The pigeons were not originally a part of his plan.

“Someone had a pigeon that was in a race, and he lost it, and I found it, and I managed to get in touch with the guy that owned it, and he was really happy that I was able to get it back to him so he gave me two little baby ones,” Davis said. “Then, I raised those and then I got more from other people.”

Davis cares for his pigeons by feeding them daily and keeping them in a shed outside his house. He has trained them to return home from flying distances up to 20 miles away, and at times they will follow Davis’ father to and from his office. Davis trained them by taking them out each day. Every day he would take them a little further from his house, and then would have them fly home to food waiting for them. Gradually, the pigeons learned to fly home on their own.

Although these pigeons are Davis’ pets, he does not experience a strong feeling of affection for them. They are simply birds that live in his backyard.

“I like to have them because I think they’re interesting,” Davis said. “I don’t have an attachment to them like one would with a dog or a cat, but they’re interesting animals and I can give them a good life, so they’re happy.”