Pets Versus Humans

It is often said that Pets look like their owners and non-more so than when it comes to dogs. One can see ample evidence of this when walking around town and along potters a well made-up lady, head held high and wobbling along on six-inch high heels. Two foot behind toddles a mini replica of this lady a well made up white poodle clicking along on the edge of its paws with red ribbons to boot. Then we may see the overlarge thug with "love" and "hate" tattooed onto his knuckles and guess what? He has a rather ugly dog with a bashed in face a pit bull terrier or even worse those ones that have been known for their sudden attacks and needless aggression against poor humans.

I had a dog once. Did terrible things did that dog! Used to love running up behind people and launch itself at their legs, just behind the knees so that the unaware would collapse in a heap whilst he would gleefully prance around. He also loved to steal one of a pair of anything and deposit it in some hedgerow, then watch happily as I searched for it. I have as a reminder of this dog many halves of sets lying around in the hope that I may one day find the missing pieces. Not sure what that dog states about my character but maybe that is better left unknown.

Other pets are more obscure. The cat for instance: an animal that sleeps for nigh on fourteen hours a day and seems to never have a care in the world. Contented people seem to have cats. Weird people keep frogs and fleas and snakes, even weirder people like to surround themselves with iguanas and spiders and such like weird. Families like to keep rabbits and Guinea pigs and persons that prefer to not step outside tend to have birds as pets, a cockatoo or a parrot to bring the outside in. Farmers like to keep cows and pigs (sorry for that one I just felt that I had to put it in) as it makes them feel worthwhile and sad people who like to be hermits keep pigeons.

The animal that confuses me is the goldfish. It seems to have no easily characterized or typified owner. I know some men for whom brutality is a way of life, yet there in their sitting room is a harmless little goldfish floating around and around in a little bowl, just next to the television. Then we have the family who at some point or other possessed a pair of goldfish, until that is they started to float upside down and turned splotchy white. And then we have the poodle owner whose poodle sits watching the tiny gold thing swim under the little green bridge at the bottom of the tank. What can be characterized to a larger extent is the house that the owner buys for the goldfish, but not the reason for having the goldfish in the first place.

It could be that due to the lack of attention required to look after a fish then it can be an easy option for anyone. The price is good, and they tend not to make a mess on the carpet unless the cat has taken a fancy to fresh fish that morning. They dont make any noise and they are pleasing to the eye (if the owner ever changes the water) and of course anyone can feed them when you go on holiday, no Goldfish Home being required in this instance. But is this what people want? Do they want picturesque yet silent creatures swimming endlessly around in a pretty little tank, day in day out? Cant take a fish for a walk now can we, or let it fall asleep on your lap?

I would hazard a guess as to why most people have goldfish displayed in their sitting rooms. And thinking about it a bit harder it is probably a very good guess and likely to be fact. Everybody goes to the fairground when it is in town. Thugs and gang members go, pretty ladies and worn out husbands parade through, children and families never leave and all do one similar thing at some point of their visit. No, I am not talking about eating candy floss as pretty ladies dont do that, nor the ones with tattoos on their knuckles as thugs would be too afraid to throw-up and embarrass themselves no, I am talking about the winning stalls. Those hundreds of stalls where all who pass are conned into handing across coins and throwing little white balls into little glass jars or throwing darts at balloons. And every so often a prize is won and the Stall Owner hands over a little plastic bag with a golden annoyance floating around in side of it. Yikes, what can you do now except take it all the way back home with you?