The school year has begun. It is not abnormal for children, especially young elementary school aged children, to miss the dad and mom or pets during the day while they are gone. School brings a while new set of challenges as students are learning to read, computing math equations, establishing new friendships, recess, and homework. School can be frightening and sometimes kids just need a familiar face to give them that boost of confidence the need to get through the day and be successful.
The same can be said of parents and pets who remain at home or work while their little one attends school. Dad and mom head to work and ponder on their child all day long. Are they listening? Are others being kind to them? Are they being kind? Are they understanding the various subjects? And what about the pets that are so used to crawling into laps? Licking faces and giving that bit of reassurance and love to their owners? What do they do all day alone at home waiting for their kids to come home?
A middle school student in Florida believes that your pet misses you immensely. On Monday a Facebook post from the Bay District School was posted detailing the escapades of a bearded dragon. The school shared that the small bearded dragon, named Jango, had been found in a student’s backpack. The school had temporarily rehomed the little bearded dragon until his adult owner could come and pick him up.
Jango was a brightly colored bearded dragon, covered in beautiful yellow and light colored brown speckled spots. Jango was known for his fun personality and was very social with his owner and her classmates. He enjoys snacking on small insects and fruits and veggies. But more than all of that, he adored his owner and desperately missed her during the day while she was away.
Evidentially, Jango was having a difficult time at home when his owner went to school. He desperately missed her and had become withdrawn and lonely. As any good pet owner, this young girl was attentive to the needs of her little bearded friend and decided that if she couldn’t stay home to be with him during the day, she would bring him along to school with her. She just knew he would be an attentive student! So early that morning, the student got up and readied herself for school, like she always did. Except on this particular morning, she invited Jango into her backpack, vowing to make sure he wasn’t sad anymore.
Teachers found the bearded dragon hiding in the young girl’s backpack. On their Facebook post, they shared some fun pictures of Jango snug and happy in a large USPS mailbox, complete with a soft pillow, toys and refreshments! When asked why she brought Jango to class, the young girl responded by saying she didn’t want him to be sad sitting at home alone all day, so, she brought him to school to ensure he wasn’t isolated and sad.
Although the social media post framed the stowaway as a sweet gesture, the school would like to remind both parents and students that all pets, no matter their size and no matter how sad they might feel waiting for their kiddo to return, need to stay at home. Parents were asked to double check their children’s backpacks before dropping them at school to ensure no additional animal friend fugitives were sneaking into class.
