It’s not uncommon for people to have pets. At Del Mar High School, many of the teachers also own animals. Here’s a glimpse at the secret lives of these pets.
Sean Crossno, the culinary arts teacher, owns four chickens. They were purchased at a feed store out in Santa Cruz back in 2020.
“They actually don’t have names, because while they are pets, they live outside and sometimes get eaten by animals,” said Crossno, “So naming them makes it a little harder when that can inevitably happen.”
The chickens do live in a secure area, but predators still get in somehow. Therefore, safety is a crucial aspect to consider when owning livestock. Crossno learned this the hard way.
When asked about whether their chickens hypothetically had human jobs, they responded with “pest extermination because they love to eat bugs,” says Crossno.
Ariel Dukellis, Del Mar’s IB coordinator, has two pets: an Arizona mountain pink snake named Rigatoni and the other being a Japanese pond turtle named Gamera.
When talking about Rigatoni, Dukellis joked about how he is a “danger noodle,” relating him to a kind of pasta. In 2016, Dukellis decided to visit a reptile show with the idea of getting a snake in mind, and came home with her new pet, Rigatoni. Rigatoni is described as a shyer snake.
“If you do get him out [of his cage], he’ll kind of crawl around,” said Dukellis, “and he’s pretty inquisitive.”
For Dukellis’ turtle, Gamera, the name was said to be inspired by a monster from the Godzilla series. Dukellis got her turtle in 2014 at a reptile store called East Bay Vivarium. Dukellis explains how turtles are generally more of a “display pet,” but mentions how Gamera really likes eating, basking on his rock, swimming around, and is a more interactive pet than your average turtle.
“The snake is pretty easy [to take care of], and especially if you put them in a bioactive enclosure, those are pretty self-sustaining,” said Dukellis, “The turtle requires water changes. But again, like compared to a cat or a dog, they’re pretty easy pets.”
Kadria Sears, an English and Biology teacher at Del Mar, has many different animals. Some are family pets, while others are individually cared for by her children, as she decided that each of her children could choose one pet to own when they turned nine. The pets in her home include a leopard gecko, a tortoise, and a hedgehog. Along with this, Sears also owns two cats and 15 chickens!
The yellow leopard gecko, pictured in the top left corner, belongs to Sears’ eldest son. Her son had gone to a lizard fair where he met his gecko, deciding to name him Achilles. Sears describes him as “very sweet.”
“[He] tends to enjoy being in people’s hands– for the maximum of 20 minutes,” says Sears.
The hedgehog, Rue, located on the bottom right corner of the photo, belongs to Sears’ daughter. The family had gotten this pet from a friend out in Reno and decided to name her after a character from The Hunger Games.
“Rue only likes my daughter. She turns into a little ball and hisses whenever I try to clean her cage,” said Sears, “she does not like me.”
Sears’ youngest son picked a tortoise and named him Shelly, which is located at the top right corner. They had gotten him at a store called Pet Shop Santa Cruz. The owners are said to be “big lizard and amphibian lovers.” Sears and her son picked one of the male baby tortoises because, according to Sears, “it can live outside.” They built a safe outside enclosure for Shelly to live comfortably.
She also happens to own many chickens. During the pandemic, Sears had the responsibility to take care of 6 unhatched chicks. “And then everybody that we knew that had chickens that no longer wanted them, gave them to us,” said Sears. Now they live happily in her garden.
Lastly, her cats, Ginger, the one in front [of the photo], and Clementine, the one in the back. Ginger is said to be “really sweet” and loves to snuggle. On the other hand, Clementine is said to be “shy” and won’t let anybody touch her.
“And we got them [the cats] to keep rats out of our garden,” said Sears.
Taking care of pets can be a challenge, but these teachers share how the experience can also be rewarding and enjoyable