By: Jessica DiRamio
I am bugged several times a week for a pet. I hear things like:
“I am the only kid who doesn’t have a pet.”
“We don’t even have a fish!”
“I wish I had something that would sit on my lap while I pet it.”
“When I am a Mom, I will let my kids have as many pets as they want.”
Yes, I am THAT MOM – no pets in this house. Unfortunately, I am allergic to cats, so those can never come into the house and I just don’t have it in me to get a dog. I can see our future with a dog: in the first few weeks, each of my kids will be gung-ho about taking it out, going for walks, playing with it, etc. Then, once a round of cold, wet weather hits us, BAM! No more! I will be the one up at 5 a.m. walking the pup in a snowstorm. I will be the one cleaning my carpets from the little accidents. Yes, I will be the one rounding up all of the shoes he’s eaten (not the Uggs, pleassssssse!). I. just. can’t. do. it!
I’ve considered other options like hamsters, gerbils, or rabbits. But, I am a total rookie on this topic so I have questions. Don’t these creatures smell? Do they die easily? How big of a cage do I really need? Oh boy, I am stressed about taking on one of these. Should I just have another child? Seems like it would be about the same amount of work?
Wow, through the power of blogging and rhetorical questions, I think I just convinced myself that I am not ready for pets of any kind. I suddenly feel like a huge weight has been lifted. Thanks everyone 🙂
Community Voices for Health 
Same boat here – my 4-year-old keeps saying, “Can we get a pet!!” I don’t do dogs and haven’t had a cat in 4 years and frankly have got used to a fluff free home!!
We did say a gerbil or hamster, as they don’t need much looking after and have a short life span, I just keep putting it off…….
Good luck
Laughing, b/c I finally gave in to getting a pet. or, I should say, catching one. Yep, don;t be too grossed out, but we are the happy (or at least the kids are happy) caretakers of a pet slug
I am laughing. Why?Because we now have our first pet. What is it? Well, um, don;t be too disgusted… a slug.
We are a multi-pet family here and I’m as big a culprit as the kids so I can’t blame them. I will say, if you are considering smaller animals, don’t get a rabbit. They can be great pets but really benefit from quite a bit of interaction, handling and even exercise (they can be litter box trained pretty easily). Personally, I love guinea pigs. They are a little bigger than hamsters/gerbils/mice so seem less rodent to me. They do well with handling if started early and are calmer. They love treats like lettuce/berries/apples and make little whistling noises. I had one that we kept in our kitchen growing up under a counter space (like a desk) that was near the refrigerator. Whenever you opened the frig door, he would whistle to get some “snacks”. Very cute, lots of personality. They live several years.
I have 3 boys, and after many years of us being described as “the worst parents ever” because we didn’t have a dog, we finally adopted one last weekend. (Even though one of the kids is allergic but it seems to be tolerable as long a she is not rolling on the ground with him) It’s pretty awesome, kids fight less because they are more occupied with the dog. 🙂 Cool blog