Pets

Pets are everywhere. They make up a large part of the world around us with examples found in households all over the world. They are so engraved in our way of life that they appear not only in our living rooms drinking water from a bowl or perched inside a cage but also in our mass culture – our movies, television shows and stories. All of them have examples of stories where a pet or an animal plays an intrinsic role in the story. There are movies like Cats & Dogs, Hotel For Dogs, Firehouse Dog and Beethoven all have animals owned by humans as part of their plot. Likewise there are cartoon stories such as 101 Dalmatians (which itself is also a live action movie), the Aristocats and Lady and the Tramp, which many of us became familiar with at a younger age and as a result received the notion of owning pets in a unique way.

But why do people own pets? There are many reasons which of course start with the companionship that goes with having another living thing in your house, be it a bird in a cage, a rabbit in a hutch or a dog in its bed. For as long as humans have been capable, so many animals have been domesticated and looked after as pets. In some cases they can also be good for people’s health, as those with pets often feel less stressed, particularly as they can take part in relaxing activities such as playing with the animal or walking it.

There are also a wide range of animals that people might keep as pets. Of course we all know people who own cats and dogs but there are many more beyond this. People might keep smaller animals like birds or rodents, including budgerigars, cockatiels, mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters and gerbils. Likewise some people might prefer reptiles and choose to keep snakes or lizards unless they opt simply for something else and own not only dogs or cats, but ferrets or horses.

There are so many animals to choose from with various species and sub species that make them up, meaning that pets come in all shapes and sizes and will continue to keep us company for many years to come.