Editor's Blog July 03rd 2012

Written on 03 July 2012.

Pets

All a round the world, without exception, humans keep pets. In the UK almost every other household keeps at least one. There are many benefits for keeping an animal and many doctors would agree that there are health benefits to be had too.

Pets can decrease your Blood Pressure, Stress levels, and feelings of loneliness. And through your choice of pet there are great opportunities for exercise and socialisation.

Your choice of pet should be one that suits your lifestyle and family composition, and if you are single like me, your pet should be the kind of animal that requires very little in the way of care and attention.

I have a pet newt, it was given to me and I find them to be fascinating creatures. They require nothing more than regular changes of water and food every two to three days.

A newt however is not reciprocal in your ministrations, as it is incapable of showing you any kind of emotion, other than it may take a dump in your hand (You can put this down to nerves). Regardless of my amphibians’ emotional impediment towards me, I find caring for it quite fulfilling.

Humans will keep anything as pets, everything from Hippopotamus to Capybara. It does not matter what the animal is, if it flies, walks, crawls, burrows or swims, there is someone out there that would have had one.

The one thing I would say is that wild animals should be left in the wild, and failing to adhere to this could lead to some really serious consequences.

Take the case of Travis, the 14-year-old 200lb pet chimp that ripped its owners face off. Cute as it may have been as a baby, Travis and his wild, fully-grown brethren are strong enough to rip your arms off and beat you up with the soggy ends.

Your choice of pet could also be your undoing. Something as innocuous as a dog could send your stress levels through the ceiling; I have heard and personally seen dogs eat an entire settee. Cats have a way of milking you for everything you got and the only thing you will get in return is some droppings in your slippers.

Whatever you decide to keep as a pet, there is one cardinal rule that we must follow. It is a simple rule, DO NOT MISTREAT YOUR PET.

Ed.