By Victoria Mezera.
Pets are an important member of any family who has them. They provide companionship, company, and joy to those around them. You love them as if they’re your child, and regardless of whether you have a cat, a dog, a bird or a 12 foot snake, pets are a great addition to your life. Now strap yourselves in, because today, we’re going to introduce you to the pets of Apopka!
Meet Pumpkin, an orange cat owned by Brianna Jaimes. She likes to play outside with a group of cat friends that she has. She’s quirky in the sense that she’ll only drink ice water, and she likes to meow and talk to her family. She enjoys playing tetherball with Christmas ornaments on the tree and is very sassy. She is very playful and will pounce on your feet when you walk. Sometimes she acts like a puppy and will play catch with ping pong balls. Brianna described her as Angela from The Office.
“Steve” is a hedgehog owned Alysha Hess. She doesn’t officially have a name, so I was told to call her Steve. She apparently likes to “zoom” around in her cage, even though you wouldn’t think a hedgehog is very fast. Also, she apparently likes to flip everything in her cage over, regardless of how small she is. She likes to curl up in a ball, and Alysha’s favorite thing is to see her stick her nose out and wiggle around. Her personality is very shy, but once she warms up to you she will get energetic and cuddly.
Juanito is a puggle owned by Mikayla Zielinski. Juanito’s personality is described as not smart, hungry, helpless, sleepy, and loving. He apparently likes to throw himself into the dishwasher to fight his reflection, and he’s spoiled because he whines until he gets what he wants. Mikayla said the person he is most similar to is Jesus.
Meet Patricia and LuLu, a pair of chickens owned by Andrea Jimenez. 
They’re both hens, which means they’re females. They are described as very crazy and dumb, and they’re pretty spoiled, with lots of room to run around and lots of food to eat. One of their most iconic moments was when LuLu stole a worm from Patricia’s mouth, and they both went crazy. They like to kick up dirt and make a mess, and they’re described as Hei Hei, which is the chicken from Moana.
Meet Simba, a cat owned by Jordan Jenkins. Simba is best described as playful, almost like a puppy. He likes 
to play a lot, and will chase and attack your feet. When he gets happy, he’ll walk all over your feet, and sometimes when walking he will just pounce on you. Jordan described him as Gary from Parks and Rec, but said it may be because he envisions him as more sentient than he actually is.
Overall, pets give much needed joy to families. They comfort you, they give you someone to play with, and provide love and support. If you have a pet at home, take the time to sit them down and tell them how much you love them. If you don’t have a pet, find someone else’s pet and let them know they’re doing a great job.