Pets in my house? My pets... Not for petting

The only person in my family who kept pets was my grandfather. None of these animals were kept inside the house. I can't remember my grandparent's dog still being alive, but I do remember the huge cage my grandfather built underneath, and around, the trunk of the spruce tree which was at least 3 meters high, to keep his birds.

His geese walked in the orchard.
Perfect watchdogs, of which he always jokingly said when they ran towards him: listen, they say I'm crazy (gak the sound geese make sounds like the Dutch word gek (= crazy).
In a large barn, he kept animals that I only later understood were chinchillas. Why did he breed them? I suspect for the fur trade, but I'm not sure.
My grandmother didn't like animals.

I grew up with dogs myself.

Two dogs were the norm. They were outside or in the kitchen. There was also a large freshwater aquarium. As a child I briefly had a bunny (a classmate's grandfather bred rabbits), I had turtles (red eared, received through a classmate), a goldfish (won at the fair but that turned out not to be a goldfish), a gold hamster (bought as a gift in the pet store and a very intelligent attaching animal) and a dog (received to replace the dog my mother promised during my sick bed, she let kill the vet mine).

When I started living on my own, I soon had a dog and an aquarium. The dog came from a shelter and was aggressive, a bad choice. The shelter talked me into it. I brought it back and the vet killed it.
The aquarium was purchased just like the many fish that ultimately died because my ex gave my equipment to his girlfriend during my absence.

my present aquarium

The English word pet means that you can touch, can pet the animal you keep, and it may feel like that, but many animals I had did not like to be touched.
I prefer to keep pets (_the Dutch word is huisdier meaning 'home-animal' an animal you keep at your place which can be outside as well: goats, pigs, chickens, cows, and so on) outside. To my opinion it is healthier for animals to be animals and not to treated like substitute humans, to be confronted with the stress and noise owners experience and produce.
If the owner projects his misery on an animal it does affect the pet. It's not what I want for the animals I keep.
Besides it's difficult to keep many animals in a small place, I don't want them in the bedroom and certainly not on the bed. I don't like the hair, mud, drool and smell everywhere.

My wolfdogs are too big

to move around the house freely and they find being indoors unpleasant. It stresses them out just like walking on the street and sitting in the car. I have tried it in the past, but I don't want to put them through unnecessary stress. If I go away, they stay home. If I go away for longer, someone will come and feed them. The choice is limited because strangers cannot do this.
All but one dog was purchased from a breeder abroad who knows the type of dog I have. There is a lot of wolf in this breed, so we have to wait and see how social the animal becomes. I don't need a lap dog and all the dogs I have are strong, stubborn, intelligent, they have humour and they suit me very well. They go their way during the day just like me and we cuddle if I feed them, that is important to stay close and enough to me.

The snake was purchased via an internet site.
According to the former snake owner, difficult to keep alive. Kevin was the size of an earthworm, maybe smaller, but we never had any problem. I think s/he is still growing, a plus is s/he eats little and doesn't miss us if we stay away for days or even weeks. S/he never had health issues. It is not a cuddly toy, but curious. If there is a lot of walking up and down, s/he always comes to take a look even though the hibernation has started. I like to observe Kevin, it's a beautiful animal.

I started a small aquarium as a test.

I want an ecosystem aquarium, im my case one without a lamp, filter and the need to constantly change the water. This means that there must be natural light and the plants must provide the necessary oxygen for the fish. The fish droppings must also be suitable as fertilizer for aquatic plants. Because it is cold, I do need a heating element during winter and I cover the aquarium with bubble plastic to prevent the water from cooling down too much. Power outages are a problem, especially if they last longer. Twice my fish nearly died.
I'm waiting until winter is over so I can redecorate the tank. Next, I will buy more plants or start a tank with only aquatic plants. I bought my first fish and some of the guppies were born in the aquarium. The snails came with the water plants.

All photos are mine
8-2-2024
I am a mobile phone user only