by !Baha, 4 August 2009

We often hear people say, "I'm a dog person" -or- "I'm a cat person", as if there are only two types of animals in the world for us to raise as pets. But it's more than that, a dog person usually dislikes cats, finds them too independent, finicky, unaffectionate; and mostly it's the same the other way around, people who like cats find dogs too dependent, expressive, hyper.

But then there are people who are 'animal' lovers, who rejoice in the chance to interact with another living being - or - 'nature' lovers, whom include in living creatures the idea of plants and even bugs as a life form that contributes to the cycle of life on the planet, of which humans are one part of the whole, and for these people, the distinction between dogs and cats has no meaning whatsoever, those attributes define but don't constitute whether one 'likes' the life of say a mosquito, fido or a fluffy kitten. What is important is karmic force, what comes around goes around, everyone understands this - and pet shop owners who treat their pets like objects to be bought and sold, should take note least they return to find themselves with a very long list of karmic debt directly attributable to their actions.

Snails, turtles, fish, all these are viable pets but not the type to cuddle, so it really depends on how passive or active you want your pet to be, they'll need just as much 'care and attention' but definitely not as much 'handling'. Ultimately, the question is, "how important is it to have some experience 'caring' for another life force while still young and impressionable?" Very important! it would seem, to be taught to have respect and empathy for 'pets' or living creatures that connect you to a vast network of living creatures for the understanding it brings about how our fundamental assumptions about observing nature in an undisturbed state, which is vastly different from a vantage point of captivity. Our vision of a domesticated pet is going to be inaccurate to describe that same animal in the wild.

And here is the value of raising a pet - the bonds formed, the differences in personalities observed... so do some research, ask people with pets, then decide which type of pet is the right one for you...