18 Cute Kids and Their Pets

Corey, 6, with his snow-leopard gecko, Raquel, 5

1. We thought she was a boy for a long time.

2. I named her after my mom’s best friend.

3. When she’s scared or sick, she changes color.

4. I don’t know her real birthday, but I think it’s June 3 because my birthday is June 1 and my mom’s is June 2.

5. I like to play games with her, like trying to run faster than her.

6. We have another gecko. Her name is Shaquel because it rhymes with Raquel.

Aya, 7, with her cocker spaniel, Henry, 14

1. I try hard to make sure he’s safe, especially when he’s crossing the street. He takes a while.

2. He sounds like he’s laughing when you rub his tummy.

3. He gives good kisses. You don’t even have to ask for them!

4. If he had a job, he’d be a mailman because he’s so friendly. He’d say hi to everyone!

5. He used to be afraid of thunder, but not anymore because now he can’t hear!

Brooke, 5, with her red-eared slider turtle, Akuma, 26

1. Akuma was my dad’s pet, but he gave her to me when I was 4.

2. She doesn’t like cookies.

3. My favorite song is her favorite song. It’s “Havana,” by Camila Cabello.

4. Sometimes she sounds like a bird.

5. She’s actually fast. She follows us when she’s out of her tank.

6. She has a little baby tail, and the bottom of her shell is very soft.

Dylan, 4, with his cavachon, Max, 10

1. He likes to eat meat like tigers and lions do!

2. When there are animals on TV, he barks at them.

3. I play “Rock, paper, scissors” with him.

4. Sometimes I put raisins in his fur, but my dad takes them out.

5. If I don’t like my food, I give it to Max!

Caroline, 9, with her guinea pigs, S’mores and Chloe, 2

1. We chose the name S’mores because she looks like ... a s’more! And Chloe because we just liked it.

2. They’re nervous all the time, but they’re so sweet.

3. They have a little wooden house in their cage. When they’re both inside, they look like sardines.

4. I always wanted a bunny, but I changed my mind once I saw these two.

5. They “popcorn” a lot, which is when they jump and flip. It’s gymnastics for them.

Jaliyah, 6, with her Chihuahua, Pikachu, 1

1. I named him Pikachu because I think he looks like the Pokémon.

2. My grandpa drove eight hours to bring him to me after he was adopted.

3. We give him doggy mouthwash because he gets dog-food breath.

4. I’m teaching him tricks, like how to roll. We roll on the ground together a lot.

5. He doesn’t like my stuffed animals. He thinks they’re real, so we hide them in high places.

6. He’s feeling playful when he wiggles his tail.

Chloé, 5, with her French Bulldog, Chase, 10 months

1. He’s very protective. Whenever my mom cuts my nails, he barks.

2. Everyone loves him, but he doesn’t have many dog friends. He’s too big for small dogs and can’t keep up with big ones.

3. He tries to get in the bathtub with me.

4. Keep babies away from him—he likes to smell their diapers!

5. We play dress-up. He has a tracksuit, or I put headbands and sunglasses on him.

6. He can jump really high—higher than me!

7. I hide my Play-Doh from him. He tries to eat it if I don’t!

Chelsea, 10, and her Sphynx Cat, Sipriano, 7

1. He’s like a chameleon! He’s pink when he’s warm and white when he’s chilly.

2. He does have some hair—on his paws and around his face.

3. He can’t stay outside, since he can get sunburned fast!

4. He cries if we leave him alone, so he sleeps with me at night.

5. He likes to crawl inside my mom’s shirt, like a kangaroo.

6. He loves to snuggle, because he gets cold easily.

Moraya, 4, and her Basset Hound, Swiffer McPickles, 1

1. He’s named Swiffer because we hoped he’d clean up after us.

2. He loves to watch Cinderella with me.

3. Sometimes I’ll share my mac ’n’ cheese with him.

4. I hold his paws so we can dance to Taylor Swift.

5. We celebrate the day he came home—we don’t know his birthday.

6. I don’t like pickles, but he needed a last name!

Salvatore, 11, hams it up with his Potbellied Pig, Oscar, 1

1. We got pet pigs because one of my brothers is allergic to cats and dogs.

2. Oscar loves to sunbathe. We put sunblock on him so he doesn’t burn.

3. Not only does he squeal, he barks too.

4. Oscar prefers to sleep in piles and piles of blankets.

5. We put him in the pool once. He got so excited, he pooped himself!

6. Pigs can learn hundreds of tricks. So far, Oscar only knows how to sit and how to dance on his legs.

Jaeda, 9, and her Bearded Dragon, Honey, 1

1. I think he’s a boy. We’re not 100 percent sure.

2. He was born in my brother’s classroom on Halloween.

3. He eats lots of kale and crickets—live ones!

4. I watch a ton of YouTube with him. Mostly slime videos.

5. He always bumps into the tank’s glass. He can’t recognize his reflection.

6. He likes to play tag on my bed. I chase him with my hands!

Alexander, 8, with his Domestic Shorthair, Kit Kat, 10 months

1. She’s named after the chocolate bar. That was her name at the shelter.

2. She likes to sit on our balcony, so I use a pot lid and a wooden spoon to call her inside.

3. Her favorite treats are ham and butter. But just a teeny bit of both!

4. She likes her cat toys but loves my sister’s hair ties.

5. I start every day by hugging her.

Lexi, 8, with her Newfoundland, Chewbacca, 2

1. He thinks he’s best friends with our two cats—but they don’t feel the same way.

2. We named him after the Star Wars character because he’s so hairy.

3. Swimming is his superpower. Sometimes he’ll try to save me, even though I’m fine.

4. After he comes out of the water, he looks like a big wet mop.

5. When he stands on his hind legs, he’s almost 5’9”. But he’s afraid of balloons!

6. He’ll demand belly rubs when you give him any attention.

Marcello, 6, with his Duck, Daisy, 10 weeks

1. Before we got her, we watched a lot of YouTube videos to learn about ducks.

2. She sleeps in a chicken coop in our backyard with her sister.

3. Ducks poop a lot, so she can’t walk around in the house anymore.

4. Green peas are her number-one fave treat.

5. We don’t have a pond, but we have a kiddie pool. She needs the water!

6. She walks funny. She always steps on her own toes.

Auden, 7, with his Alaskan Husky, Lupa, 3

1. Her name means “she-wolf” in Latin.

2. She looks like a wolf, so kids get scared of her. She bows down to show she’s not harmful.

3. She’s very quiet, but she’ll howl when I howl!

4. She’s meant to be a sled dog, so she’s obsessed with snow.

5. She likes to sit in the shade. Her skin and eyes are sensitive to the sun.

6. Her favorite movies are The Hobbit trilogy.

7. She’ll chase her own tail for like five minutes.

Brianna, 9, with her Long-Haired Tabby, Coffee, 2

1. He likes to try to eat our food, especially crunchy stuff like popcorn!

2. I walk him around in a special pet stroller that has a net.

3. He plays with my curls every night until he falls asleep. It relaxes him.

4. He loves carrying pencils in his mouth. We don’t know why.

5. We brought him home from the shelter when he was 3 months old.

Brandon, 5, with his Leopard Geckos, Mario and Luigi, 7 months

1. I named them after the video-game characters. I can tell which is which because Luigi has more spots.

2. They are like babies: All they do is sleep and poop.

3. Darkness does not scare them—they love it.

4. You can’t hold a lizard by the tail because it’ll rip off.

5. Sometimes they lie in the water bowl and even drink from it after.

6. They like to crawl under my shirt and sit there. It’s very ticklish!

Jesse, 7, with his Rex Rabbit, Izzy

1. Her fur gets super curly when it’s wet. Like fusilli pasta!

2. Once she tried nibbling on an orange wire. I think she thought it was a carrot.

3. We treat her like a princess.

4. Izzy is usually very calm, but she isn’t if you touch her food bowl. Don’t mess with it!

5. We’ve never seen her close her eyes. I’m going to stay up one night to see if I can catch her sleeping.

6. We don’t know her birthday, but every day is a celebration for Izzy because we love her so much.

This story originally appeared in Parents magazine as “Animal House!"