July 17th, 2013
Sorry I haven't posted in a while; I've been really busy.
Well.
Even though I can't get a pet (well, I have goldfish but they don't really count), I think a lot about the kind of pet I would get if I was allowed to have something other than goldfish. A dog? Cat? Ilama? Unicorn?
When I was little, I used to bug my parents all the time about getting me a dog. They seemed so cute, with their fuzzy coats and yippy barks. I read a bunch of kid stories where a girl would want a puppy, and for Christmas, lo and behold, THERE WAS A PUPPY UNDER THE TREE. I didn't realize until late primary school that the girl was just really spoiled, and in real life parents just make up reasons about how pets are "not allowed in this house!"
Then, recently, I started seeing that dogs aren't all that great. I mean sure, they're smart, they can learn tricks, and they're "man's best friend". But I've seen many dogs that bark incessantly, jump all over you, slobber way too much, claw at your legs, etc. Essentially, dogs are really time consuming creatures. You have to train them, placate them, take them outside to walk, etc... Every day I see my neighbor (with bedhead hair and dark bags under her eyes and a big mug of coffee) take her dog for a walk at 7:00 in the morning. In the winter. I know for a fact I would die of exhaustion.
So I thought, cats are great. It doesn't matter how fat they are...actually, the fatter/fluffier, the cuter. They don't have to be walked. They let you pet them. They don't bark their heads off. They purr, rub against your legs, and are generally not a nuisance. (Generally.) So now, if I do get a pet, I'll most likely get a cat. (If any of you have something against cats, please reply to this post. Please.)
I've also considered turtles (so tiny!) until I realized that most turtles aren't tiny. The ones under 4 inches are banned due to salmonella concerns, and the larger ones are frankly not very appealing.
Hamsters, chinchillas, gerbils--basically, you take care of them, and what do you get in return? A stinky cage, an animal sleeping ALL THE TIME, and almost no interaction with the pet. It may just be my misconception, but this is what I think...correct me if I'm wrong. Besides, if Fluffy escapes the cage you'll have a dandy, horrifying time looking for him. Fun!
So tell me--if anyone has experience with pets, what's the best kind of pet to get?
