 One of the biggest cons, unfortunately, is that if you have a child
and the pet dies or disappears before the child reaches adulthood,
you will be coping with this child's broken heart for a very long
time.If you consider the fact that a pet's average lifespan is
usually shorter than a human's, it is very likely that your child
will get his heart broken.
Of course, if your pet is a Galapagos tortoise, which can live
150 years, it is not likely that your child will be witness to its
death, but you'll have to provide for the pet in your will. A pro
and a con.
Another con: Even if you could train a tortoise to fetch a stick,
it could take a year to get it back. Who has that kind of time to
invest?
Most people will own a cat or a dog. A dog knows how to fetch a
stick properly and can be taught to corner intruders, but a cat is
low-maintenance. However, both of these animals will leave hair on
your carpets and furniture. Tortoises don't have hair.
A dog or a cat can run away if you let them outdoors. Tortoises
can try, but they need a considerable head start.
My daughter wanted a pet for her birthday. My two oldest sons
decided to pitch in and buy her all the equipment she needed for pet
fish.
I thought that was a perfect idea. No hair, no running away, no
stick fetching. Lots of pros.
They were neon-colored fish called Glofish. They were actually a
hybrid that seemed to glow under a black light. She loved them.
There was one each of five different colors: purple, green, yellow,
orange and pink. The pink was the smallest and, of course, her
favorite. The purple was the largest.
By the end of the day, she had named each one.
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 The hardest part of owning a pet, for me, has been watching my
children go through the heartbreak of losing one. The whole "Circle
of Life" speech is pathetically incapable of healing such
heartbreak. So, in my mind, fish were a good pick and I was grateful
to my sons for being so generous and sensitive about that issue. My
daughter has a very tender heart. If she were to lose a pet, she
would definitely blame herself. She would be inconsolable.
She was delighted with these colorful little fish, however.
Bubbles, the pink fish, liked to spend its time inside a
neon-striped rock prop that the boys bought for the tank. My
daughter wished Bubbles was a little more extroverted.
If a fish could strut, Mr. Big, the purple one, did. He was
definitely the alpha fish.
On the third day, my daughter woke up and turned on the black
light. The little neon-colored fish flitted in and out of the
plastic plants and tropical props. They were easy to see. None of
them had any protective abilities whatsoever. So it was interesting
to note that Bubbles couldn't be seen. My daughter removed the rock
it liked to hide in; no Bubbles. Did it jump out?
She called me in to look; no Bubbles. I looked at Mr. Big
suspiciously. Was it my imagination, or did Mr. Big gain some
weight? And do fish smile?
One pro for dogs and cats: They don't eat each other.
[By LAURA SNYDER]
Laura Snyder is a nationally syndicated
columnist, author and speaker. You can reach her at
lsnyder@lauraonlife.com
or visit www.lauraonlife.com
for more info.
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