Pet Discussion #1

[Prof. Gustavo Flores]

Dear students,

If you are enrolled in this class for the Fall Term 2017, please procede with our first Pet Discussion. This post is worth 10 points of your ASSIGNMENT 1.

Taken from the Class Website:

Please head to the Class Forum and introduce yourself to the class. Maybe you can tell us why you decided to take this class, or what other HOL classes you are taking. In your introduction, also include your answer to the following questions:

Do you have any pets in real life? If you do, tell us: What kind of pet it is?, What’s its name?, What makes it special?, Does it do any tricks?, Any other thing you want to share with the class!
If you don’t have any pets, then please tell us the reason why you don’t have one. Is it your choice?, Is it a parental restriction?, any other reasons? Then tell us, if you could have a pet, which kind of animal would it be?, Why?

Please, make your post at least 100 words long for full marks. Thank you!

[Arianna Stonewater]

Hello! I'm a third year Slytherin Prefect and I am excited to take this class because I love my HOL pets, Archimedes, Damien and Edrea.

Sadly I do not have any IRL pets. When I was younger I had a cat, a dog and a fish tank. I was obsessed with Pocahontas so my cat’s name was Nicolma, my dog was Kocoum, and my fish tank was collectively named Pocahontas (except the albino goldfish. He got his own name: Goldie.) But when I moved to another state the new place changed my allergies and so now I’m allergic to anything with hair, fur, or feathers; cats being the worst. I’ve found as I grow older there are some dogs I can be around, but I couldn’t live with them 24/7, which is a shame because I love animals! So for now my virtual cat, owl, and toad will have to do! I would love a pony someday though!!

[Robin Blackwood]

Hi! I am Robin Blackwood, first year student. I am taking four classes this term; Astronomy, Dragonology, Charms and Care for Magical Pets. I was amazed about great idead by making this class and I signed immediately. Sadly I am not the owner of any pet. First I had the alergy on the dogs and cats and other animals with fur. But now I think that this is over and I also passed alergy test without being alergic on those. Still I am having no pet because of parents restriction. Luckily my grandpa and grandma have three cats and love to be with them. If I would have choise then I would choose medium sized dog or maybe a cat. They are both so magnificent, but there is less work with cats. Maybe this would influent on my choise and I would choose dog for more amount of work and a challenge for me.

[Shiloh Adlar]

Hi everyone! I'm Shiloh Adlar, sixth year Ravenclaw prefect and RQT co-captain. This term I am also taking Career Advice: Planning Your Future, Marvellous Musical Theatre - Act 4, Mathematics: Arithmancy the Muggle Way, Survival, and I'm completing my OWLs. I decided to take this class mainly because I love any class Prof. Gus offers. The assignments are always quick and easy which I need in my busy schedule, and it looked kind of fun.

In real life, I do have a pet cat. His name is Onyx and he's an all black Egyptian Mau. His birthday is actually in a couple of days, and he'll be nine years old! Black Egyptian Maus aren't as prized as their spotted counter parts, but he's prized by me. I've had him pretty much since he was born. He's extremely intelligent. I've often found him turning on the water in the sink to drink out of it or reaching up to open doors to go into another room. He also likes to talk a lot and knows his feeding schedule by the clock. It's as if he can read time or something. If I don't feed him right when I'm supposed to, he lets me know. He's also a very high jumper. I can't name how many times he's jumped up on top of places that I can't even reach. One time I took him to the vet, and he managed to jump from the table all the way on top of the cupboards that were high up on the wall. He came down just fine when I told him to, but the vet was shocked he could jump as high as he did. He's currently living with my parents, so I miss him a lot, but maybe not the early morning alarm clock. I don't get enough sleep the way it is.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Hi. I'm Tarma. This term I'm taking Care of Magical Pets and Survival, Magic in Famous Mysteries, Magical Greek Mythology and The Her in Hero.

I'm taking this class because Professor Gus is an awesome teacher (I've taken his Herbology class and Dance class) and wanted to indulge myself. No, no butter there. It's true.

I am fortunate to live with a Kelpie and a couple of Horses. The Kelpie is Murie and the Horses are Beauty and Ashia (pronounced Asia). I don't think of them as 'pets' per se. They are partners with me. I sometimes think that I am their pet, and they are with me partly because they like my company but also largely to 'take care' of me. They help me by being innately balanced in and of Aletheia ("unclosedness", "unconcealedness", "disclosure" or "truth"). This is a resonance which I choose to be, and am gradually re-tuning myself to my own choices of who and what I am, and not the choices that others would have had me be.

I've lived with horses all my life, and am very fortunate to have done so. They are so much larger than I am, and, while they are not nasty-minded at all, if I slip and am not being true to myself (but involved in some sort of intellect/ego dramz) they are very prompt to let me know that what I am resonating is not pleasant to them and they want me to stop.

[Alex Sparks]

Hello, I am Alex, and I am a Hufflepuff Seventh Year. I am taking this class because I love pets, magical or otherwise. This year I am also taking Confronting Your Boggart, Disney Studies: The Classics, Dragonology, Kennilworthy's Kitchen, and I am also hoing I'll manage to finish my OWLs. I have had many pets so far, and right now I am honored to be the humble servant to two cats, Findus, a mackerel tabby who is twelve years old, and Thomas O'Malley, a seven month old ginger and white youngster.
Findus is a very cuddly cat who loves to eat and steals everything edible if you don't put it away safely and has been known to eat a whole slice of dry bread, and Tommy can already open doors from both sides, so that we have to lock them! I am very sure both of them are at least half Kneazles!

[Prof. Astrid Black]

Hi! I'm Astrid Black, seventh year Ravenclaw. I happen to love animals as you will find out in the ensuing paragraphs. Learning to care for magical pets is a good thing. Especially if one wants to own said magical pets...which I may. >.> Just saying. I'm taking Introduction to Sign Language, Norse Myths and Legends, Survival, and Treasure Hunt. It's a pretty interesting and diverse course load this term.

I have one pet. She’s a white cat with big blue eyes. Her name is Intetsu. She was named after a Japanese bassist from the band Ayabie. She doesn’t do any tricks but my cat often times thinks she’s a bird. She’s a perchy cat that likes to sit in high places and makes these little chirpy noises like a bird. Intetsu learned to meow from a cat that learned to meow from canary birds. It’s so adorable. I often times will talk to her and she’ll respond back. I’m sure I have more conversations with my cat than I do other people. I’m very thankful she’s not deaf as most blue-eyed white cats are.

Honestly, I could on and on about my cat for ages. Right now, for instance, as I’m typing this she has wiggled into my lap, under the laptop, and has snuggled under it. Why? It’s made of warm and in momma’s lap. My cat is my baby. I’ve had her nine years now and she's still really small. Her paws are only the size of my thumb. She's like a permanent kitten...a perma-kitten. She’s my constant, my rock, and my familiar. It’s hard to sleep without her anymore. Ever since she was a kitten she’d sleep on my pillow with me or next to my chest or on my hip. She’s always right there. I love my cat. She's such a dainty princess.

[Amanda P. X. Sim]

Hello everyone! I am Amanda P. X. Sim and I consider myself an animal lover, which is partly why I chose to take this class for the term! Moreover this class is not about common pets, but learning about magical pets instead, which makes it even more interesting! I have always wanted to have magical pets of my own, especially owls, and this class would be helpful in allowing me to know more about these creatures so that I can take care of them well. At HOL I had an owl and two cats before, sadly they all ran away when I was unable to feed them (shows how important commitment to pets is doesn't it?). Right now I have one Northern Saw-whet owl left, her name is Aiko Hoshimi and she will hoot thank you if you would feed her a bean!

In real life I do not have any pets, unfortunately. The main reason is because my mum has never been keen about having animals in the house, and she doesn't dare touch animals at all, although looking at them for afar is still possible. I on the other hand love touching animals, I don't mind reptiles either, the only type of animals that I really don't like are insects and wormy creatures. Other reasons for not owning a pet include lack of time to commit, monetary and space constraints as well. Throughout my life I have had the chance to pet dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, horses, geckos, tarantulas, fish, snake... but none of those were my pets! I already have plans to have pets of my own someday though, I would like to have four dogs - an Alaskan Malamute, a Samoyed, a Golden Retriever, and a Shiba Inu!

[Iverian Gnash]

Hello! I'm a second-year Gryffindor Prefect. I decided to take this class because I tend to look at all the new classes that come out and this one looked pretty cool. It's always a tough decision figuring out which classes to take.

I've had many pets before, but currently, I have a cockatiel named Coconut. So many things make him special from how he says hi to me when I walk into a room to how he dances and sings along with songs. Tricks wise, he's a great climber! Coco can climb up pretty much anything he can hold onto.

He's pretty funny in that if you put him on the table he walks right up to the paper towel roll and unravels the entire thing. If you have him on your shoulder and someone else walks into the room that he'd rather be with, he'll fly across the room to them. His favorite place is sitting on top of his cage cause... why be in it when you can be on top of it I guess?

He's probably the easiest pet I've had. A lot easier than chickens and bunnies XD

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Hi! My name is Sky Alton, a Gryffindor 7th year. This is (providing I pass my NEWTs) my last term as a student here at HOL. With that in mind, I decided to take 4 classes that have always attracted me: this one, Magic in Famous Mysteries, Healing Herbology and Chinese Festivals. In addition, I’m taking a new one, Patronus 101. I’m currently a head student and a Gryffindor prefect as well.
I don’t have a pet as such but a working assistance dog, Lara (if you ask her, she’d tell you she’d very much like to be a pet). She’s a white Labrador/golden retriever cross who looks a little like a smiley polar bear. She has a very friendly personality but can also be a little boisterous at times. She doesn’t really do any ‘tricks’ beyond having mastered the basic commands (sit, stay, wait, lie down, stand) but she can guide me safely around obstacles… when she feels like it!