Over the past eight months, the coronavirus pandemic and state-wide quarantine orders have created many challenges for Miramonte students. During the shelter-in-place orders, dozens of students have become new pet-owners. Despite the hardships put in place by COVID-19, students have bonded with their new furry friends, who bring them joy during the difficult times.

This past summer, Miramonte freshman Soleil Skjorshammer was introduced to a new friend and family member. 

“We had so much time on our hands that we figured we would save an animal from the shelter. Our dog has become my best friend during quarantine and has made everyone in our family happy,” Skjorshammer said. As a fun and friendly companion, Skjorshammer’s dog, Diva, has brought lots of joy and energy to the family.

Junior Ava Christofferson fosters kittens, and describes the positive impact they have given her. 

“My family and I fostered several groups of kittens over quarantine because we felt as though it would be a fun, helpful project to keep ourselves somewhat distracted,” Christofferson said. “ I mean who doesn’t want dozens of adorable kittens running around? I would say they did just that. It was great to have them around. They kept us busy and distracted, but not in a bad way. We fostered them, but we did find loving adoptive homes for every single one. I would say that the best part about having them is that it’s just having more pets to keep you happy in the house. I know that for my family we don’t need to have any more pets, but it was great to have them temporarily and to adopt them out to two homes that we knew could and would love and care for them.”

Junior Ally Smith has loved spending time with her new goldendoodle. In a family with four pets already, the newest member Austin has become a strong addition to the Smith household. 

“We had a dog previously,” Smith said, “ but we had to give him away due to him being too dominant over my little brother. We have been wanting a dog ever since but we were scared of a repeat situation and thought we wouldn’t have the time to take care of one. Our family has been blessed to have Austin as our dog because it’s brought more light in this dark time. There’s never a boring moment with him.”

Senior Grace Barmmer has welcomed seven new chickens into her family. After owning multiple chickens in the past, Barmmer is excited to relive the experiences of watching her chicks grow. 

“We had been wanting to get chickens for a while and since we weren’t doing anything during quarantine my mom finally decided it was time! They’ve definitely kept us busy during quarantine, but it’s been very fun to see them grow into actual chickens now. We started getting our first eggs about two weeks ago and I think that’s been the highlight of having them so far!” Barmmer said.