The title is only half true. It is only raining dogs here in Hoboken. Every corner I turn, you are bound to see a dog. I think I have seen more dogs during my time living on campus than I had seen in my entire life before college. If you were to ask me, I personally prefer cats over dogs. Like what is there not to like about cats? They are the fluffiest, cutest, and quietest creatures. Honestly speaking, if I am going to live in the city, I might get convinced to get a dog instead.
Pets are, of course, the ideal companion to combat loneliness. The list of options of what kind of pet to get goes on and on. When I was a kindergartner, I had a pet chicken which was very silly to say the least. My sisters and I treated it as family, of course, with much love and care. However, it was meant to be our Thanksgiving dinner. Sadly, it never did reach the kitchen table. The day before Thanksgiving, we let the chicken play in the front yard like usual. Our neighbor was infamous for his two large, predatory dogs. When we let our chicken out, his dogs were also released shortly after. I will never forget the horrific scene of those dogs tearing apart my poor, helpless chicken. That was genuinely the most devastating loss of a pet ever. Even though it was going to get eaten anyways, it was heartbreaking to see it get brutally murdered in broad daylight.
My family was not huge fans of pets, but I guess the only exception was birds. Later in 10th grade, my family was given a parakeet at a birthday party. Unrelated at all, but the birthday party had parakeets in cages as table center pieces. We decided to name the bird “Fluffy” because of his soft and fluffy feathers. Every time I was stressed, I would take Fluffy out of his cage and pet him while doing my homework. Fluffy was very polite to people, but not with his food. He would devour his food as soon as we gave it to him and would take naps after snacking. Definitely the chillest pet ever, but he passed away a year later. We had a cute little ceremony and burial for him, but my little sister cried so loud it ruined the moment fast. I didn’t cry as much as I did for my chicken, but I was grateful for the moments I did have with Fluffy.
Maybe I am not cut out for either a cat or a dog. It’s nice to envision a life with one, but I think it’ll be harder living and taking care of one. Do the benefits outweigh the cost of having a pet? I think it depends from person to person. Even if it is a pet chicken or an exotic pet like a snake or an axolotl. Like I said, there’s many options to choose from, and there’s a good fit for everyone.
