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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