The Best Pets @ Girl-Doll Fashion Gossip

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A good pet is a girl’s best friend, but not every pet is right for you. The best pet for you depends on a lot of things – your lifestyle, your home, and your parents. Not to mention you should probably like a particular kind of animal if you’re going to make it a part of your family for the next decade (or day.)

Dogs

Dogs take up the most time in the pet spotlight simple because they have the cutest clothes. Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s because they are the most common pet and are towed along behind celebrities or carried in their purses. Just once I’d like to see a pot-bellied pig schlepped along in an A-list’s shoulder bag, but I digress.

Dogs are great pets. They are friendly, loving and only slightly neurotic. Smaller dogs tend to be yappy, but are great for cuddling. Larger dogs are comfortable and make you feel nicely protected. Large and medium dogs are also a nice reason to exercise every day. Dogs require a lot of your time, however, as they are social animals and want to spend time with you.

If you’re gone most of the day or don’t’ have the time or energy to take your dog on a walk, a canine might not be right for you, at least not right now. Dogs are also not very well suited for apartments unless you have a small dog or a very mellow breed that can sit around all day without feeling the need to run wildly around the backyard every few hours.

Cats

Cats are an easy pet. Cats are one of the few pets you can leave for days at a time without arranging a pet sitter or boarding. Cats really need only a food bowl, water and litter box. A scratching post and sunny windowsill are nice, but certainly not required. Cats can be social, but many describe them as rather selfish creatures. They are soft and cuddly, but many are rather intolerant of too much affection.

Cats make terrific pets for most homes, however. Some breeds of cat are comfortable indoors all day using the restroom in a litter box. These cats are great for apartments and other small homes. Other cats prefer to spend time outside, but you don’t have to have a full yard to accommodate these felines. Cats are agreeable to almost any living condition, but you won’t find many dressed up or taking a stroll through a park.

Fish

It’s surprisingly really, that fish are almost as much work as dogs and cats. Fish live in a self contained little world, but that little world has to be cleaned regularly and the larger your tank, the more complicated managing the conditions and cleanliness of the water can be. Granted you can get a goldfish in a bucket with almost no trouble at all, but that simply doesn’t have the same relaxation value as a full salt-water tank.

Fish are terrific to watch, but they aren’t very cuddly. If you’ve never had a pet, a fish is a good place to start. Fish don’t require any socialization and you only have to tap food into the bowl once a day. If you have the single goldfish in a bucket without an air source, you’ll also have to oxygenate the water, but that takes only minutes.

Start with a single fish to get used to the responsibility of pets. Feed your fish, and keep his tank clean. If you have a goldfish, it’s very likely he won’t survive the week, but at least you’ll flush him to rest knowing you’ve done everything you could on his behalf.

Virtual Pets

Of course, if you’re not really into shedding, you might simply consider a virtual pet. A virtual pet will let you have anything you want for as long as you want without taking on a commitment for longer than a few minutes. Of course you can keep the pet as long as you want, but you’ll never have to pay for boarding when you travel.