Furry friends bring students joy

Erik Johnson, Design Editor|December 9, 2019

Tay-Tay loves to dress up for Christmas

We all love Basil at school, but TSP wanted to highlight some of the other pets our students see at their homes. Our furry (or not so furry) friends are there for us no matter what happens. They help cheer us up, calm us down, and of course, clean up whatever food they can find. TSP gave students the opportunity to submit their pets to be featured in our issue. Here’s a look at a few of our town’s lovable pets.

Taylor (Tay-Tay) Sydney Rootberg is a 9-year-old Morkie (Maltese Yorkie). Despite being an old dog, she still has a lot of energy. Her favorite food is turkey bacon, and she’ll stand by the microwave begging for some whenever her family makes it. Tay-Tay spends her days watching the Cubs on TV and people watching in the guest room, which she has claimed as her own. Lexi Rootberg (12) said that Tay-Tay barks and bites her pants every day when she tries to leave for school—though, the little pooch has yet to stop her.

Gigi, a cat, sits on top of a laptop keyboard
Gigi loves to sit on keyboards to get attention.
Lily, a dog sits on her bed with a bone in her mouth
Lily sits on her bed with a bone.

Lily is a 6-year-old Rhodesian ridgeback-labrador mix. She’s a rescue dog that loves her family. Lily tries to socialize with the cat in the house, Gigi, but if she gets too close, Gigi slaps her in the face. Gigi is a 7-year old calico-siamese cat. Gigi hates car rides, but will meow to the tune of the music the whole trip. Lily however, loves to go up to Wisconsin with Lane Mayes (11) and her dad, where she even has a little doggie hunting vest. She goes crazy over a shuffled deck of cards, jumping and rolling around at the sight of it. Mayes said that Gigi would meow relentlessly until she fed her early in the morning, so they had to get an automatic feeder to keep her happy.

Bailey, a dog, rests her leg on somebody, as she lays on the couch
Bailey loves to sit on the couch.

Bailey is a 4-year-old Australian shepherd-labrador mix. She’s a dog that loves to snuggle, but can have a lot of energy when she wants. Jaidyn Rush (9) said that Bailey gets very excited when she comes home from school. She’ll scream a high pitched bark and do a somersault where she sticks her butt in the air and puts her face on the floor. After Bailey is tired with that, she’ll snuggle up to her humans and give them hugs by wrapping her legs around them.

Snickers, a dog, lays on the grass for a picture while on a walk.
Snickers loves to sit in the grass.
Huey, a dog sits in front of a chalkboard with the words "Free Kisses" written on it
Huey poses for the camera
Ginger, a hamster sits in the tub for their bath.
Ginger, a hamster, takes a bath.
Gigi, a cat, sits on top of a laptop keyboard
Gigi loves to sit on keyboards to get attention
Benito, a dog, poses for a picture with a leaf on his nose
Benito catches a leaf on his nose during a walk.
Sophie, a dog, lays on the bed for a picture
Sophie loves to pose for photos on the bed.
Payton, a dog, curls up next to a blanket on the couch.
Payton loves her blankets.
Weasley, a dog, poses on a table for a picture outside
Weasley loves to sit on the table and pose for pictures.