Our Ideal Pet!: A @qurator Monday Missions entry
This is my entry to the @qurator Monday Mission with the theme of "Hold your horses, Pets!". I was hoping to think of a bit of a lateral take on the topic... however, in the end my brain is just a bit too tired to take a sideways look at it... so, I've decided to tackle the topic head on!
My wife and I have managed to live many years together without coming to the idea that we would feel that a pet would really complete our household... instead, we got two human pets instead. However, as these "children" (aka. daughters) have started to grow older.. the calls for a household pet has started to take shape!
Of course, each person in our four person household has different requirements, likes and preferences (and of course, vetos) for what the perfect ideal pet would be for our house... so, with this post, I'm going to try and lay out what it is that would make out our perfect pet, based upon our combined preferences!
I will be going in order from oldest to youngest in our household... I wish that age also came with a proportional voting stake in the ideal pet, but it appears that the youngest has the most sway due to the ability to use a nuclear option (screaming... and tantrums... a bit like North Korea)... and my wife holds an across the board veto vote (a bit like the permanent powers on the UN Security Council...) ... this leaves myself and the oldest daughter being the only rational actors in this resolution!
My Preferences
I'm not going to kid myself here... my preference, despite leading this particular article, is the LEAST important of all the inputs here.
I am really quite partial to cats... I love the fact that they take care of themselves, don't demand heaps and heaps of attention... and are just all round chill! Plus, they can serve double duty as a deterrent to mice and rats... there is construction going on in our neighbourhood, which means that the mice and rats are running around a bit. I know that a nearby neighbour has been invaded recently... and they are only just down the street!
When I grew up, we never had a pet... so, I'm not particularly fussed one way or another if we end up getting one! However, one that doesn't need to be taken for a walk and constantly demanding attention is one that would suit me quite fine!
Something that I am pretty much against is a dog... slobbery, jumping and just all round annoying! Bleah.... when I was little, I would have violin lessons at a neighbour's house... they had a huge huge dog who was really friendly... which is absolutely terrifying for a child of about 4! Nope... dogs are just not for me!
Thankfully, I've been living out my cat owning fantasies online at CryptoKitties... without subjecting the family to my pet preferences!
My Wife's Preferences
In the spirit of the worldwide trend of un-resolvable partisan positions... my wife grew up with dogs, and absolutely hates cats. Interestingly enough, she has used some pretty underhanded tactics, telling the girls that she was once bitten by a cat when she was little... and now the girls think that we shouldn't get a cat because their mother is scared of them!
Meanwhile, I had once rescued a cat stuck in a tree... and when I went to drop him out of the tree, he decided it wasn't time to go and he dug claws into my arms... so, I ended up doing a recording later that afternoon dripping blood from my left arm! Somehow, that story didn't convince the girls....
In keeping with the veto vote position... my wife is also incredibly uncomfortable with any rodent like animals... mice, hamsters and even rabbits make her a bit queasy and uneasy... I'm starting to think that if we get a pet, we might need to get rid of the wife!
My Oldest Daughter's Preferences
My oldest daughter has her heart set on a rabbit! When we visit the garden centre or the pet shop... her first instinct is to race to the rabbit section where she can see how much her friends have grown! At the garden centre, there is one HUGE rabbit... probably a hare.... we would definitely be getting something smaller than that though...
A rabbit would a big hand for mowing the lawn... we don't have a huge lawn, but it is of the right size to be not quite annoying enough to mow.. and small enough to think that you can put it off! A rabbit would give me a break....
My oldest daughter is the most able to fit in with other people... she doesn't have any definite things that are vetoed... except snakes and spiders. In fact, there was a spider in our downstairs toilet several months ago (a daddy long legs... so, nothing scary at all...)... but still, she will avoid using that toilet if at all possible. I've considered putting a spider in the upstairs toilet to equalise the deterrence... but I'm afraid that it might just result in a fear of toilets in general!
The Youngest Daughter's Preferences
I'm not totally sure that our youngest daughter is quite yet firmly grounded enough in reality to have a proper vote here.... she would like best either a Unicorn or a My Little Pony....
...whilst I have to say the concept of Rainbow Dash (Crash...) as a pet is pretty cool, I think it would be more as a houseguest than a pet. After all, they do seem to be intelligent creatures that can talk and think... so, keeping a My Little Pony as a pet seems a bit off!
If we try for a more "normal" animal... her current favourite animal is a big stretchy snake that she takes to bed with her... NO NO NO! She is a strange girl... there are so many fluffy animals and toys that are also in her bed... but no, it is a weird rubbery snake that she wants to hug....
The Ideal Pet!
Well... since this conversation has been started around a year ago... we've not really been able to come to a real agreement. Thankfully, it isn't a topic that the girls have been pushing too hard... but it is possible that at some point in time, it might be nice for the girls to have a pet to learn how to take care and responsibility of something. It is a great way of learning those things... as long as the kids really do take responsibility (I think that my kids would... but you never really know...).
When the decision does come to a head... I guess the ideal pet would be what is known as a Chimera of sorts. A stitching together of all the best bits of all the animals. A dog like animal with the temperament of a cat that hopped around like a bunny (and ate grass) with a magic powers and a Cutie mark! Easy!
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Greetings I also love cats, too bad I can't keep them as a pet because of allergies. Also like your daughter I like rabbits but I have the same problem with cats, allergies. So I'll take the dogs... hahaha even if they drool.
Ahhhh... allergies, a pity! I think I would take allergies over the drool though...
I think I can recommend a solution. I, like you, have a preference for cats. I always hated little yip, yip dogs. I love big dogs, but they belong in big yards, not in the house; in fact, I think it's cruel to keep a big dog cooped up in a house and/or in a yard little bigger than a roomy kennel enclosure.
This animal I'm recommending might not be easy to find. But, we actually have the animal I am about to suggest currently. Yes, it's a dog. This dog is hypoallergenic – which is crucial in my house because my husband has an allergy to cats and my son has an allergy to dogs and both me and my son have asthma. It's a Schnoodle. Schnoodles do not shed. He is calm, affectionate, playful, obedient, and amazing with small children. He is smaller than a Main Coon Cat, but larger than a Sphinx Cat. This dog does not try to hump your leg. Nor does he scratch the furniture or you. He is intelligent and lovable. He's a superlative companion.
What you need, my friend, is a Miniature Schnoodle that has been raised for at least the first six months with cats. Heck, I swear our Gizmo even tries to purr! Seriously, I'll be petting him and he'll start a soft rumbling growl that he keeps up without making any effort to move; he even turns his head or body into the scratch. And, sometimes, he makes a little noise that sound for all the world like a kitten short mew. LOL
This is Gizmo right after a trip to the groomers. The banana-eater is my then ten year old son.
This is Gizmo when his coat is fully grown out
This is just a totally relaxed Gizmo
Ha... funny that you recommend this dog! This is the the last dog that my wife's family had (or something that really looks like him...). Unfortunately, he passed away just last month at roughly 13 years or something like that. I remember him when I first met my wife... he was just a little pup, and crazy excitable! In his old age, he had really slowed down... but it was nice to see that he would still remember me on my various visits even though it would be over a year in between meetings....
These are really great dogs though, perhaps it is a good solution!
Your wife had a schnoodle? I think the poodle-schnauzer mix may be about the best possible human manipulation of breeds. I've met several of these little dogs and they are all terrific companions.
As for being excitable… that picture I of him sprawled out was when he was just a year or two old, I think. Our little guy was always preternaturally calm. Maybe it's because he was raised with cats. Or, maybe it's because he was a rescue. We got him from the woman who fostered him after he was rescued from a puppy mill.
When choose any dog, here's a test I use: Command the dog firmly to sit. Then, place a dog treat in front of them and command them, "No." If you can tell them "no" three times and they don't jump on the treat, you have a well-behaved, trainable dog. Now, this isn't likely to be something a six-week old puppy can be expected to do. But, once the dog is three or more months old, you this technique can be employed.
Gizmo was around six months old when we adopted him. He was so compliant that, even when I was distracted while discussing him with the fosterer, he did not eat the treat. He laid down in front of it and just watched it mournfully. When I looked at him and saw he hadn't eaten it yet, he raised his head and looked back at me, wagging his tail and did not eat it until I told him too. This was in the first ten minutes after he was introduced to us.
After that, I watched him with my then little boy (he's a big, smelly, hairy tree of a teen now) for few minutes to be sure they were good together. Then we brought him home with us.
From this heart-meltingly beautiful black-eyed boy:
To this 6'1" sixteen year old, hair, walking hormone tree– LOL:
Ha... I wonder how my daughter will turn out when they hit that age....
I had no idea that it was a schnoodle... it was just the dog that I knew!
My son, from the family picture album, is turning into the spitting image of my husband's nearest-to-his-age brother. I tell ya, it's kinda freaky to see your son's face in black and white pictures from a far distant place and time.
I feel the same way as you about dogs. Disgusting, excitable, attention-thirsty pigs haha
I have two cats myself and you're right, they do take care of themselves. I once had a rat. They don't last very long
Ahhhh... cats are the best!
Oh man, your family will go crazy over here. We have it all, dogs, cats, rabbits, snakes, spiders, birds, squirrels, guinea fowl, and even a donkey or two. Oh and I forgot, chameleons and lizards as well. But only one little dog belongs to us and the rest are running wild.
In your case all that I can say is that are going to have and interesting time on your hands. Depends on who has the most clout and I bet it's the missus. Just hope that you don't get a huge loving and slobbering Great Dane hahaha.
Hahaaa... chameleons would be really cool! My girl was telling me the other day that they have independent eyes... that would be pretty freaky to see!
Oh yeah, quite interesting to see one eye looking forward and the other backwards. I love the little critters.
Blessings!
#posh!
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