Patty Bottini
From Spring Valley (Teacher’s Assistant)
It was a dachshund named Gretchen. We had to put her to sleep because she was old and her back end wouldn’t work. We then got a German shepherd and a poodle. We had lots of dogs, but we got Gretchen when I was five or six. I also had a hamster as a kid, and my sister had rabbits. Oh, and I owned a goldfish briefly. I have dogs now and a parrot.
Linda Chadwell
From Spring Valley (Government Employee)
A cat when I was around six. We had it 17 years. We had a German shepherd collie mix. Also as a kid I had a baby alligator. My dad brought it illegally from Florida. I had it two weeks. It bit my finger, and as I was waving my hand around, it flew across the room and hit the wall. That killed it.
Linda Pearce
From Rancho Peñasquitos (Law Enforcement)
My first hamster was Little Miss Pee Wee Kins. I was going to name it just Pee Wee, until I found out it was a girl. My first dog was Jolie, which means “pretty” in French. It was a purebred toy poodle, and my brother and I would take a blanket and throw it up in the air. I think the dog hated it, but we thought it was fun. I’m surprised we didn’t accidentally kill her.
Lee Baldelli
From Downtown (Broker)
I had a border collie named Scout when I was ten. My mother gave it away after a couple years because she didn’t want it inside the house. We got a cat named Smokey, which was black and white and even did tricks. But our dog Scout I really wish we had longer. We even went camping, which he would’ve loved. And we never brought him along. I’m not sure why.
Mark Chadwell
From Spring Valley (Bailiff)
It was a mixed bulldog named Sergeant. I think my dad named him. I also had a duck named Elmer. I was five or six when my mom got it. I don’t remember what ever happened, but we never ate him or anything like that. We also raised rabbits, but those were to eat. I guess that doesn’t make them pets.
Mark Petterson
From Pacific Beach (Chiropractor)
I had a lot of goldfish I won at carnivals. They always died after a few weeks. I had rabbits and a golden retriever. The dog once killed one of the rabbits. My first pet I killed, though. It was a small turtle. I might have been around five years old. I can’t remember its name, but I remember my mom telling me to change the water. I thought warm water would be best for it. The thing jumped around twice and died in the hot water. I buried it in my yard, and when my mom came home she asked where the turtle was. I told her and she made me dig it up. She saw it was dead and told me to bury it. I told her I already did, and it was her turn.