When Jada Waters’ hand slowly reaches into the cage, she inches it down cautiously. She’s trying not to intimidate or frighten the bearded dragon she owns. Her fingers hang as the dragon’s snout moves closer, taking in Waters’ scent. All is calm until it lunges, mouth open wide.
“I did that for like maybe a month and then finally she got used to me,” says Waters.
She has had Waddles since last year. “Her name is Waddles ‘cause she’s really fat, so every time she walks she just waddles around.”
Waddles is her favorite pet, she says, and cost her about $250 including all the equipment. “She was a rescue so she was like a little timid, so every time I would come up to her she would hiss,” recalls Waters. “I was a little scared and I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I just got you and you don’t like me.’”
Waters also has two frogs, a dog, a rabbit and a tortoise. She’s always been intrigued by animals. When she attended a job fair in kindergarten, she declared she wanted to become a veterinarian. “I would always like pretend to operate on little stuffed animals,” she recalls.
Now Waters and Waddles share a special connection. “Every time she sees me, she wants to get out of the cage.”
-- Cassius Pettit, photos by Eliza Kamerilng-Brown