Pets, aren't they just adorable? Well, that actually depends on what you call a pet, especially when you realize that some people keep reptiles as pets, that's just their choice, right? Pets have always held a special place in our hearts, be they furry, feathery or even scaly but even at that, there are a few people who don't like pets, I mean, none at all. Then, some people have a preference for only one type of pet, which can be either dogs, cats or birds. For example, in the city where I'm currently based, dogs are the popular pets here and you will barely see anybody owning a cat because according to them, cats are straight up from hell.
They see cats as a medium for witchcraft but then a lot of them rear goats in their houses, isn't goats used as a depiction of the devil in certain cultures and religions? I guess that's a topic for another day. Then in my hometown, cars are more popular as pets and there are just a few people with dogs. My maternal grandmother when she was alive had lots of cats and kittens, she had a preference for white cats so all the ones she had were white or a mixture of white and black. It was through her that I came to love cats and I could see myself having one as a pet one day, even though they can be quite bitchy most of the time (especially orange cats!)
As for people keeping birds and fishes as pets, they are very rare in my country Nigeria as it's mostly the rich that do so, considering these animals can be expensive to take care of. For me, I can keep a wide range of animals as pets and this includes dogs, cats, birds (mostly parrots and macaws), and fishes. I draw the line when it comes to reptiles, their scaly skin makes my skin crawl, and don't even get me started with that tongue thing they do, very creepy. I mean, would anyone be keeping snakes as a pet? Those creatures belong in forests.
Personal experience with a pet
I once owned a dog when I was in the university and this was back in 2021. In my hostel, I had a neighbour that owned a couple of exotic dog species, he actually keeps them for business (they reproduce and he sells the puppies). I helped him a lot to take care of his dogs and the day when he moved out of the hostel, he gifted me a very cute puppy; a Shih Tzu breed (pictured below). I love breeds of dogs that look like this, such as Lhasa apso and Pomeranian, but Lhasas can be very aggressive, my neighbour also owned one and that dog chased me a couple of times seeking to draw blood
The puppy that was given to me already had a cute name; Pearl, so I just went with that. The first couple of weeks were fun and that breed of dog is very energetic, it's always running around and never getting tired. I gave it a bath twice a week and always trimmed her fur whenever they are getting too long. But after a couple of months, I realized that keeping exotic dogs as pets is very expensive, especially when it comes to feeding them. Pearl is a very picky eater and doesn't eat any food that doesn't contain fish or meat. I was feeding this her more than myself and my money was running out like water.
I decided to make the hard decision to sell her before it gets to the point where we both starve to death. And before you say it's wrong to sell a gift, my neighbour probably foresaw my predicament and he told me that if I eventually can't take care of her, I'm free to sell her and the price is around N150,000 (around $300 back then). So, I put her up for sale and posted ads on my WhatsApp status and various groups, but I eventually sold her for N100k ($200). It was a very difficult decision but considering I wasn't able to take care of her in the long run, I just had to.
So, that was how my journey with owning a dog ended. I realized that a lot goes into taking care of a pet and I also realized why a lot of Nigerians who own a dog usually go for the Basenji breed, they are very low maintenance and allowed to roam around for food. They can eat any food you give to them and can also go out to hustle for their food. There's even a meme I saw on TikTok that said a basenji can feed itself and even its owner but then again the females of this breed are always pregnant, they always come back home with an unknown pregnancy. In the future when I'm financially stable, I will still get a dog (possibly a Shih Tzu) as a pet and also a cat.
This is my entry for April Inleo Prompt, day 23. Come be a part of this awesome daily prompt by clicking on this link.
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