Thursday was Jenna’s Kindergarten Class Pet day. All the kids were invited to have their parents bring their pet. Sound like a great idea? Right. Since we don’t have dogs or cats, we’ve always brought a bird. We just put one of the birds into the small travel cage and take them in that. It’s worked pretty well in the past (this is the 3rd time we’ve had this Kindergarten teacher–we really love her). Well, this time, when I asked Jenna who she wanted to bring for pet day, she thought for a moment and said, “Rachel!” For those of you who might have forgotten (or just didn’t know), Rachel is Cole’s turtle. Ok, I thought, I can bring the turtle.
Talk about an easy pet to take! when I got to the kindergarten playground, there were all kinds of parents there with all kind of pets. Some of them were wrestling big dogs on leashes, some had large pet carriers with angry cats in them, and some even had chickens in a big cage. There were fish in bowls, and one mom with a big lizard that she had wrapped up in a towel to keep him warm. And me? I’m carrying the little turtle in a designer turtle carrying bag that I picked out just for the occasion! 
      
The turtle is the perfect pet for pet day! She doesn’t bite, doesn’t climb out of her carrying bag, doesn’t run away, Jenna could hold her and show the other kids, and she was the only turtle there. She doesn’t need a leash, doesn’t throw up in the car (my dog growing up always threw up whenever we took him in the car. Did your dogs do that?), and doesn’t bother the other pets waiting at pet day.
By the time we were done, she was a little antsy and trying to climb her way out of Jenna’s arms, but not in a scratchy violent way like cats do. And on my way home I had to stop by the copy store and make some copies for Cole’s school project, and I just left that little turtle in the car!
So, yes, Rachel was the PERFECT pet for Kindergarten pet day. And I’m sure Cole would let you borrow her for your child’s pet day as long as you promised to feed her some blackberries.
I had no idea turtles ate blackberries!
How neat! Anna Marie has a little bitty turtle named Springy Tuck Tuck Springy (because my mom told her he was born in the spring, and after the turtle on Wonderpets). We have an event called Mayfair in a couple of weeks, and there will be a Best Dressed Pet contest. We’re trying to figure out how to dress him up like one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Makes me want a turtle.