Dobby the House Pig

Senior Paige Wood’s family is full of pets. Specifically, three great Danes, four cats and two pigs. Her Juliana pig, Dobby the House Pig, is the size of a small dog. Yet, he seems to be the biggest troublemaker among them. He’s managed to create stories that leave her and her mother Andrea Wood laughing.

“We leave the doors open when the weather’s nice, and we were cooking a pot roast Christmas Eve,” Andrea said. “We all thought we put the pig away. Nobody put the pig away, and he came inside and tried to take the pot roast out of the oven. He did not get the pot roast.”

Not only does he like pot roast but he apparently loves bacon as well, thanks to a Marcus student.

“He literally goes to our school,” Paige said. “And he biked over one morning and gave our pigs bacon because he thought it was funny.”

When he’s not busy giving in to his cannibalistic tendencies, he instead tries to nibble on her brother.

“When he hears my brother walk in, he’ll go and run at him and eat his toes,” Paige said.

Theo the Gecko

Sophomore Chloe Heeter already had three dogs and a bearded dragon. But when her fourth-grade teacher was giving away “Theo,” a leopard gecko, Heeter knew he was going to be her favorite.

“We were like ‘We’ll take it,’” Heeter said.

However, Heeter found Theo’s favorite foods are live insects.

“I have to give him these nasty roaches,” Heeter said. “They’re so gross, but he likes them…and then there’s crickets…and then the worms. He likes anything that moves.”

And after he’s done eating, he’ll begin to lick his eyeball, though his tongue can barely reach it.

Chloe’s favorite memory of him was when she cradled him in her hands for the first time.

“I just looked at him, and I realized how cute he was,” Heeter said.

Gem the Python

Gem the ball python is aquatic science teacher and assistant coach Preston Jund’s classroom snake. She was a gift from Marquette’s director Alice Dack.

“She belonged to her daughter Emma, and they were looking for a home,” Jund said. “So, I took her in.”

He loves to parade around the school with Gem draped over him.

Jund finds her presence very calming, whether it be in his hands or wrapped around his neck.

“She’s never been aggressive towards me,” Jund said. “And I think it’s largely due to the fact that students have a lot of respect for her. She is an animal, and they understand that whatever energy they give to her she’s going to return.”