Pets are normally adorable animals that a lot of people have, ranging from generic dogs to alligators or tigers. People have shown for thousands of years how much emotional support a pet can give.

Dogs are the most common pet to own with around 471 million in the world. They come in hundreds of different breeds and sizes, some of which can fit into mugs fully grown, often known as teacup breeds. Some reasons that someone would want a dog, are that they are often incredibly loyal and loving, as well as the softness that comes with them. Some dogs are certainly higher maintenance than others, but on average they are fairly simple to take care of.

“Well, [my family] all really wanted a pet. We all wanted dogs, and we all loved dogs. My parents had dogs when they were growing up,” sophomore Isabella Lucero said, “So I have a Yoki and her name is Sophie, and then I have a Yellow Lab and her name is Nala. My Lab, when she was a puppy, used to go under the lawn chairs we have outside and lay down, and she likes to run around our pool.” 

Cats, with three hundred and seventy million around the world, they are obviously very popular. Unlike dogs, however, many pet cats are allowed to roam their neighborhoods freely, this is because many cats prefer the outdoors. They also come in many different breeds but are similar in size. They are often loyal and soft but have been shown to be more aggressive when trained than dogs. Cats are much less maintenance but still require a fair amount of work.

“Basically, my grandma found KC outside. He was abandoned and my grandma could not take him in because she already had a cat, so we took him in,” junior Alexis Enyeart said, “I was kind of young when we got him so I named him after “KC Undercover”. 

Amphibians and reptiles, while certainly being much more uncommon than cats and dogs, still occupy many

homes all over the world. They are less maintenance than most animals and many people come under the assumption that they don’t require as much attention. However, these animals still need love and ways to enjoy their lives. Some reasons to get this type of pet are that they don’t require as much maintenance, and they are relatively calm, they are often small but some species are much larger. 

“My father bought a pet snake for me when I was younger after going to a reptile show in Indianapolis,” sophomore Sophia Kay said, “I thought they were kinda unique, and not very many people could say they had one. His name is Zeke.” 

Fish is arguably the pet that requires the least amount of attention. They are normally small and require only food and clean water. Many people have pet fish and they are good pets to have because of how easy they are to take care of. They are good first pets for children. They have many beautiful colors and an unbelievable amount of different species.

“I have two fish, a boy and girl. The boy’s name is Pasquel and the girl’s is Ariel,” freshman Luara Peters said, “They are glow fish. I do not have any stories because I just got them, and we got the fish because I wanted a pet.”