Ukiah High students and teachers might have noticed a certain classmate walking the halls with a bearded dragon on his shoulder. That student is 9th grader Kristian Ortiz Avila and we spoke to him about living life with a lizard on his shoulder.
First, Ukiah High needs to know that the bearded dragon you see on Ortiz’s shoulder is named Victor and he’s 4 years old.
For clarity, Ortiz is not Victor’s owner but still considers him his pet. Victor is the classroom pet of teacher Melissa Matson whom Ortiz has adopted and takes care of each day of school. Ortiz intends to carry him every day on his shoulder until he graduates from Ukiah High and even plans on “keeping in touch” with her after he graduates.
Ortiz said he and Victor have “a lazy bond” when together describing the bearded dragon as an emotional support animal. Victor keeps Ortiz “from getting in trouble” and he loves the lizard so much that he sometimes even thinks about bringing him home.
In all his time with Victor, Ortiz said the lizard has not pooped or peed on him once and said it is uncommon for bearded dragons to do either.
One thing about Victor the lizard is that “his back legs are paralyzed” but Ortiz said he can still walk if you give him a push.
Sometimes for fun, Ortiz likes to scare people with Victor. He told us that one time someone fell back and tripped after being surprised by the bearded dragon.
Victor mainly eats salad, Ortiz said, and usually during breaks and lunch along with students.
In all his time with Victor, Ortiz said the lizard has not pooped or peed on him once and said it is uncommon for bearded dragons to do either.
Catalina Cowen is a freshman in the Ukiah High school journalism class. She loves baking and hanging out with friends. She joined journalism because she likes writing about things that happen in the town around her. Catalina was born in Ukiah, California which is a big reason why she wanted to write about the city she is from. She looks forward to writing for the Ukiah High School Journalism class in her future years in High school.
