//PICTURED ABOVE: 1. Mary Gum 2. Victoria Gonzalez 3. Landry Grover 4. Carlota Fedorko

Although stay-at-home orders have forced Hockadaisies to stay away from their friends and inside, that has not stopped many from welcoming in a new member into their family. Sophomores Landry Grover, Victoria Gonzalez and Carlota Fedorko, as well as senior Mary Gum, all have adopted new animals during this time.

Landy Grover

The first week of April, sophomore Landry Grover decided to get ducks. She had seen a picture of one of her friends at Tractor Supply Co. posing with several baby ducks. Grover thought that the ducks were really cute and figured she had a lot of extra time on her hands to take care of them while in quarantine. She ended up getting two ducklings—a gray one she named Dumpling and a black one she named Mr. Chow. Grover said at first it was a struggle to change the bedding in their cage, but now they are very easy to take care of. They live outside and swim in her pool all day. 

Victoria Gonzalez

Sophomore Victoria Gonzalez decided to foster two kittens around mid-April. One of her friends had found three seven-week-old kittens who were abandoned and decided to try to find homes for them. Gonzalez convinced her mom to let them foster two of the kittens because they were too young to be alone outside. The two kittens, one orange and one black, are nameless. Gonzalez said the hardest part about taking care of them is that they are very tiny, so she has to be very careful about where they climb. Sometimes they climb up places they cannot get down. Gonzalaz said she is very happy she is able to give them a safe environment to grow up in. 

Mary Gum 

During the last week of April, senior Mary Gum and her family adopted a puppy after initially fostering the dog. Gum’s mom had seen many posts on Facebook about White Rock Dog Rescue needing people to foster dogs, and the Gum family decided to help out. After a week of having the three-month-old Weimaraner-lab mix named Moose, they decided to adopt him themselves. Moose loves to chew on anything he can get a hold of, like furniture or shoes, but also loves to cuddle when he sleeps. He does not like to leave their home, and when Gum and her family try to take him for walks, they have to carry him a few blocks away and then let him run home.

Carlota Fedorko

Sophomore Carlota Fedorko and her family decided to get chickens in mid-April. They got five buff Orpington chicks that were all two weeks old. Fedorko’s mom was worried about taking constant trips to the grocery store because of the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, so it was her idea to get chickens for their source of eggs. Fedorko said the chickens live in a coop in her backyard with plenty of space to run around while still staying safe from wild animals. Although it is difficult to clean up after them, Fedorko says that taking care of them is a good responsibility, given her extra time while sheltering in place. Her favorite things about them are how they huddle together when they sleep and their cute chirping noises. 

Story by Elisa Carroll, Staff Writer

Photos provided by Landry Grover, Victoria Gonzalez, Mary Gum, Carlota Fedorko