PET chapter I

A pet (or companion animal) is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or protection, as opposed to working animals, sport animals, livestock, and laboratory animals, which are kept primarily for performance, agricultural value, or research. The most popular pets are noted for their attractive appearances and their loyal or playful personalities.

Pets commonly provide their owners (or guardians) physical and emotional benefits. Walking a dog can supply both the human and pet with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction. Pets can give companionship to elderly adults who do not have adequate social interaction with other people. There is a medically approved class of therapy animals, mostly dogs, that are brought to visit confined humans. Pet therapy utilizes trained animals and handlers to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive, and emotional goals with patients.

The most popular pets are likely dogs and cats, but people also keep house rabbits; rodents such as gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas, fancy rats, and guinea pigs; avian pets, such as canaries, parakeets, and parrots; reptile pets, such as turtles, lizards and snakes; aquatic pets, such as tropical fish and frogs; and arthropod pets, such as tarantulas and hermit crabs.

Some scholars and animal rights organizations have raised concern over pet-keeping with regards to the autonomy of nonhuman animals.

 

Etymology

Originally from Northern English and Scots dialects, origin is unsure but may have arisen due to influence of petty pertaining to children and later companion animals. Almost certainly of Germanic etymology.

Noun

pet (plural pets)

 1.An animal kept as a companion.

 2.One who is excessively loyal to a superior.

 3.Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a darling.

Common types

While many people have kept many different species of animals in captivity over the course of human history, only a relative few have been kept long enough to be considered domesticated. Other types of animals, notably monkeys, have never been domesticated but are still commonly sold and kept as pets. There are also inanimate objects that have been kept as "pets", either as a form of game, or humorously (e.g. the pet rock or Chia pet).

Domesticated

Domesticated pets are the most common types of pet. A domesticated animal is any animal that has been tamed and made fit for a human environment. They have consistently been kept in captivity over a long enough period of time that they exhibit marked differences in behavior and appearance from their wild relatives.

Mammals

 Alpacas

 Asses including miniature donkeys

 Cats

 Dogs

 Sheep

 Horses

 Goats

 Elephants

 Rodents including Fancy rats, Fancy mice, Hamsters, Guinea pigs, and Chinchillas

 Ferrets

 Llamas

 Pigs

 Rabbits

Birds

 Domestic Canary

 Chickens

 Domestic turkeys

 Domestic ducks and geese

 Domestic Pigeons and Doves

Fish

 Goldfish

 Koi

 Siamese fighting fish