By Jamie Kirk
For the life of me, I don’t understand why anyone would want to voluntarily sign up for getting a pet. When you think about all the responsibilities “adulting” already brings, the last thing any of us needs is yet another to-do on our laundry list of to-dos.
For instance. Feeding, you have to buy food. You have to adjust your schedule to feed them. You have to make sure they don’t have allergies to certain foods. You have to continually go to the same place to get said food because you can’t really switch it up on them. Feeding is a nightmare especially if they have stomach issues or even worse, can’t eat food from the local Target or Kroger.
Another example of the nightmare of having a pet. Disposal of waste. Regardless if it is a cat, dog, cow, bird, etc. They have to do #2, just like humans. Some of them are a little better at it than others. But nevertheless, you have to prepare an area for them; you have to have something to get it up with. You have to endure the sight, the smell and the impact of having another living thing take a dump and expect YOU to just clean it up. No pay, no thanks, not an ounce of gratitude. They often just stare at you like YOU are the one with the problem.
It’s darn expensive. For instance, if you have a snake, you have to make trips to the pet shop and buy the hamsters, birds and sometimes rabbits. If you have a dog, you have to buy chew toys and leashes. If you have a cat, you have to buy those strings with balls on them. And those scratching post. And if you have fish, you have to change the water often, buy filters, and sometimes buy additional fish that will eat the algae off the side of the glass.
Given all the reasons above, I just don’t see why a person would jump through those hoops and obstacles for a pet. I mean it’s not like there is any reward from any of them. So why even bother.
It’s not like you come home after a crappy day and get the warmest hug from a dog you could imagine. It’s not like a cat will not sit on your feet in the dead of winter and make them warm. It’s not like a fish will look at your from the other side of the glass with eyes that seem to say “I understand.” It’s not like any pet gives you something to call your very own. It’s not like a pet will show you appreciation by protecting you and standing beside you when energy that is no good is close by. It’s not like a pet will assist in the grieving process. And it certainly has not been proven that folks who have a pet sometimes live up to 36% longer.
It looks like I started the article with one position, but after stepping back and looking at all of the benefits those little critters bring to our lives; how could you not have a pet? Pet owners rock because they can take all the challenges that come along with owning a pet and focus more on the love they bring every day.