Pet Spotlight

For those of you who don’t know,
Andy Anderson
has a history of rescuing surrendered animals and calling them his own-whether they’re super worm eating reptiles or human-loving mammals. Besides his adorable dog, Zooey, here Andy shares more on his chameleon friend, Ben, as well as his kitchen fish, Feesh. And you thought you had a cool variation of pets…

Andy Anderson

Web Coordinator and Animal Rescuer


 

What made you want to get a pet chameleon or how did the chameleon come into your possession?

My girlfriend had a sudden urge to get a chameleon because we couldn’t get a cat and she needed something that would ‘clutch on to her’ (her exact words). She went to a reptile store to inquire about baby chameleons, but the owner convinced her to instead ‘adopt’ an old chameleon that had been surrendered by his previous owner. He’s 5 1/2 years old now and very geriatric. He spends a lot of time sleeping; we also have to hand feed him superworms.

What’s your chameleon’s gender and name?

His name is Ben; he’s a male panther chameleon, which is one of the rarer breeds. He doesn’t change color like other chameleon breeds, he just gets brighter or duller depending on his mood.

What’s it like having a pet chameleon? Do you play with it often?

It’s amazing! He’s become such an integral part of our little family. I honestly never thought that I could love a lizard the way I love Ben, but he has such a place in my heart. He currently has three places where he hangs out: a big tree on our balcony that he climbs around on and gets sunlight and exercise; a smaller tree that we take in and out of the shower for him (you’re supposed to put chameleons in humid locations with dripping water so they can drink and stay hydrated). He also has a pretty cool cage in our bedroom with a lot of branches to climb on and a humidifier that blows steam into his cage. He really likes to be held and handled, which is odd for a chameleon, they’re usually very solitary creatures, but we’re really gentle with him and make sure that he feels safe whenever we hold him.

Where did you rescue your dog, Zooey, and how old is she?

I got Zooey from a very high kill shelter in San Bernardino; she had been surrendered by a previous owner and had 4 days left at the shelter before she was to be put down. I saw her picture online and something about her just got to me. I hadn’t had a dog since I was a child and had never been responsible for an animal, but I knew I had to get her. I made a pledge to myself and her the day I picked her up that no matter what, I would always take care of her and would never let her end up in a shelter ever again. She was 2 when I got her and was really skinny, scared and wary of people. She’s 5 now, eats a steady diet of rawhide chews, steak bites and expensive dog food (her choice, not mine) and she loves meeting new people and dogs. We go on long walks everyday because she has so much energy, but even 4-mile walks daily aren’t enough to wear her out, so we usually go on long hikes or to the dog beach on weekends.

Photo Credit: OC Register

When did you get your tattoo about Zooey and what does it mean to you?

I got the tattoo on a whim in November of 2012 after I discovered the one that she had tattooed inside of her ear (no I didn’t tattoo her, that’s how she came). I like it for a couple reasons: it doesn’t make any sense to anyone who doesn’t know the story (it’s just a series of numbers with a heart on the top), and it’s also a constant reminder of the commitment I made to her when I first adopted her. I think it serves as a reminder that every animal and person deserves love, and it pushes me to treat everyone and everything with respect.

Photo Credit: OC Register

How did the OC Register reach out to you regarding Zooey?

Actually, Sheri Ledbetter who works in my office found a call for participants for owners with tattoos of their pets in the Register and shared it with me. I reached out to them and told them my story and they invited me in for a photo shoot. The photographer did such a wonderful job, I don’t think we would have been featured on the front page (or in the article) had it not been for the photo.

Closing thoughts…

We also have a fish that we rescued from an old dirty tank that lives in a tank in our kitchen. His name is Feesh and he eats constantly and has killed and eaten any new fish friends we’ve tried to give him so he’s not lonely, so we’ve given up trying to give him friends.