Pets

I'm struggling to understand people's fascination with pets. Why would you want yet another living creature who is dependent on you for food and nurturing? Why would you want a creature that can't take itself to the potty? Or if it can, needs you to clean up it's litter box?

Our entire family is allergic to dogs and cats so those animals are out as pets, much to my children's dismay and my eternal gratitude. (must admit, that I do adore cats, but right now another creature for whom I am responsible will kill me off).

Ben and Shira want a pet badly. They, for some reason, do not think that Beanie Baby stuffed animals do the trick. I've told them that they can have any animal they wish as long as it isn't a rodent,bird, reptile, fish requiring heating or any animal to which one of us is allergic. (I stuck that one in because I mysteriously develop allergies to animals that are not on my list).

I can sort of understand why people would want a cuddly, furry cat or dog. They snuggle, they are affectionate and they have personalities. However, they need to be walked, no matter the weather. They need an inordinate amount of training. When that's all done, they can't ever have a conversation with you and they can't ever take care of themselves. To my mind it is like signing up to have pre-potty trained toddlers forever. Who in their right mind would sign up for that?

Then we have pets that live in bowls or cages. If I can't understand why you would want a cat or a dog, this category of animal totally bemuses me. The only "benefit" you get from them is a stinky house. I want to hurl when I walk into homes with caged animals as the smell permeates the house.

I think that if you want something cute and furry you should visit a taxidermist.

If I can't understand why people want pets, this latest pet craziness is even more incomprehensible to me. People take their pets on vacation, they put them into doggy day care and send them to spas. News Alert people, these are animals, not people. I applaud whenever I come across an hotel that bans animals. There is nothing worse than checking into an hotel only to have your allergies flare out of control. Leave those creatures at home or in kennels please people. Get a life, develop relationships with people, not with those proxy people you call pets.