It's very sad, but a lot of people seem to think of pets not as living
beings with emotions just like us but as just another consumer item.  I'm
not saying that there aren't reasons to have to give up a pet, but simply
getting tired of it or the responsibilities it entails isn't a good
reason.  Taking care of any living creature has its positive and negative
attributes.
 
I think that's the biggest problem with pet shops.  People buy on
impulse, just as they might a new stereo or pair of shoes.  If people had
to research an animal enough to find breeders, perhaps there wouldn't be
so many throw-away pets.  I think it's part of the whole consumer
mentality of our culture.
 
Obviously, someone who's had an animal for more than a couple of months
and hasn't bonded with it probably shouldn't have a pet at all.  And if
furniture and carpeting is a priority, those people should perhaps get a
nice fish tank or no pet at all.  Granted ferrets aren't for everyone,
but cats, dogs, birds and rodents can be just as, if not more,
destructive.  When an animal is very destructive, I believe it's usually
the human's fault.  Animals that are well trained, loved and taken care
of are not generally destructive.  I'm not saying that my ferret hasn't
broken anything, but usually when he has it's because I've been unable to
give him my undivided attention, which he needs everyday since I am his
only playmate.
 
Though I am new to the ferret world, it really makes me mad to hear about
how quickly people dump ferrets while keeping their other animals--even
when they say the ferret is the best animal they've ever had!!!
 
As difficult as my Rocky was as a baby and as much an adjustment as it
was for a former cat person to make, I was so bonded with him in six
months that nothing could make me give him up.  But before getting him, I
researched ferrets and talked to people who have them and thought a lot
about it.  It was at least a year from when I first started thinking
about getting a ferret to when I actually did and I still had some
reservations.  But the joy and love I get from Rocky way overrides the
inconveniences.
 
People should need a license to get a pet.
 
This rant is not directed at any person in particular but to anyone who
gets a pet on impulse "because it's so cute" or it's a trend started by a
movie and then gives it up when it becomes a slight inconvenience.
 
Sharon
[Posted in FML issue 3870]