As the day of graduation looms closer for the Class of 2025, some emotions and dilemmas begin to arise. The school year has continued to pass by and seniors have begun to experience their last dance, pep rally, and assembly as Middle College High School (MCHS) students. As seniors find themselves preparing to move on to the next step in their lives, they often find themselves facing a difficult step in their journey: saying goodbye to their childhood pets.
Many students have had family pets for as long as they can remember, while some have adopted pets in recent years. Our furry, feathery and scaly friends often help provide support and help students through difficult days.
Senior Fatima Reyna is one of the many seniors who have decided to go to a nearby school and continue living at home. This decision has allowed her to continue living with her three cats and two dogs.
“I feel great about being able to continue to live with my pets. I believe my pets have helped me manage my stress and negative feelings. Sometimes when I felt sad or bored, I would just play with my pets or just pet them. Spending time with them helped take my mind off of things and made me feel happy,” Reyna said.
Oftentimes, people can create strong bonds with their pets. Some consider them less as pets and more like our own children or family members.
“All of them have been in my life for six years. I see my cats as my children. I see the dogs as my dad’s other kids,” Reyna said.
Although our companions provide a source of comfort and affection, many students plan to continue their education away from their home. This means that some students will have to part from their companions. Although temporary, this change in routine can cause students to feel sad.
Yoselin Chavez, a senior at MCHS, has two family pets: a three-year-old chocolate lab named Aggie and an eight-year-old chihuahua named Chloe.
“Both of them have funny little quirks. Aggie likes to be chaotic, we call her the tomboy. She’s also very dumb and hits walls. Chloe is very sassy, she has huge ears for a chihuahua. She likes to lay down with her paws crossed. At the moment I don't plan on living far, maybe a dorm or near Irvine,” Chavez said.
A worry that comes with owning a pet that’s been with us for a long time is whether or not they’ll be okay while we’re away. It’s a scary thought, thinking of the passing of a long time friend. Although there typically isn’t something we can do about this problem, we can try to spend as much time with our companions whenever we can. The loss of our companions while students are away can often feel like our pets have passed away even if it’s not the case.
“I also got used to them following me everywhere and having them receive me all happy, so I'll miss their excitement when they see me,” Chavez said.
Another worry that can also come when we leave is whether our absence will affect our pets. Leaving our pets at home can often cause students to feel guilt over leaving companions who offer unconditional love.
“I feel bad about them facing a big change because both of them sleep with me and Aggie has attachment issues. I can't go into another room without her being able to see me. Most of the time I am home alone taking care of the house so having my dogs helps me feel safe because they bark when someone is at the door and taking care of them helps distract me from my stress,” Chavez said.
Despite the negative feelings that arise with leaving our companions at home, students can still find comfort in the knowledge that they will be waiting for them at home. This can provide students something to look forward to when they’re away from home.
For many people, our pets are more than animals, they are family. Whether they’ve seen us grow up and sat beside us during zoom meetings or spent recent years creating a bond, our companions have left an imprint on our lives. Even though saying goodbye can be a difficult thing to do, these moments and bittersweet memories can help students take the next step in their journey with the knowledge that there is a companion full of love waiting for them back home.
