Tuesday, June 14, 2011

A New College Graduate’s Search for the Perfect Pet (Part 2)



Welcome back to Lisa Shoreland, with Part 2 of her search for her first post-college pet. Today she shares her decision-making process. Tune in on Thursday to see what she finally decides.

Lisa Shoreland is currently a resident blogger at Go College, where recently she’s been researching aerospace engineering scholarships as well as health administration scholarships. In her spare time, she enjoys creative writing, practicing martial arts, and taking weekend trips.

Pets I’m Considering
by Lisa Shoreland

I’ve compiled a list of the different pets I think could possible fit all of my needs. I’m going to consider the pros and cons of each pet to determine which one I’d like to buy. Although there are some pets that might fit this list of needs, I’m going to rule out lizards, snakes, spiders, rodents, and birds because none of them appeals to my personal tastes. Although a ferret or a hamster might fit my needs, personal childhood experiences have led me to take them off the list as well.

Small Dog

Pros
Cons
Great personality
Shots and spaying/neutering can be expensive
Furry and nice to pet
Need a carrier for travel
Will curl in your lap
Require more attention and care than other animals on list (e.g., regular baths)
Can be paper/litter trained, but tend to take longer to house train
Some apartments don’t allow dogs
Can be destructive to furniture
Have that dog scent, even with regular bathing
May bark and anger neighbors

Cat

Pros Cons
Independent Shots and spaying/neutering can be expensive
Quiet Need a carrier for the move
Clean Male cats are known to spray furniture
Have a personality Can be mischievous and claw furniture
Furry and nice to pet
Cat's purring is soothing
Will curl in your lap

Aquarium with Fish

Pros Cons
Visually Stunning No personality
Very low maintenance No real companionship
Difficult to move


While we don't necessarily agree with Lisa's assessments of each type of pet, we do like and recommend her process of creating a list of pros and cons about which pet will work best for you. If you have questions or we can help you overcome a particular "con", let us know. Part 3 with Lisa's final descision will be posted on Thursday evening, June 16. In the meantime, what was factor that tipped the scales in determining which pet you would choose? Let us know here.

In honor of Lisa's guest post and all you new grads out there, The Animal Store would like to give you a graduation gift. Bring in some proof of your recent graduation and get 25% off your entire purchase• of a new pet and all the supplies you need to get started. For those who have already graduated or are still in school, mention Lisa's post for a 10% discount.*


*Offer expires June 30. Good on white tag prices only.

1 comment:

Rebecca Michelle said...

I chose a dog as my first adult pet, but due to life happening I had to give her away. I now have 2 cats which keep me great company, are low maintenance, and not too expensive to care for even with all the kitten shots we needed and annual physicals for both.