Daily Writing Prompt What is good about having a pet

Daily writing prompt
What is good about having a pet?
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Today’s writing prompt is “What is good about having a pet?”. I can easily think of many good and wonderful things about having a pet but let’s not forget that it also comes with responsibility. Having a pet is a lifelong commitment, well their lifetime at least, and you need to treat them like family. If you cannot handle the pet when it gets old, and you are not going to treat it like family, then don’t get it.

Our Pets

We’ve owned many pets in our life, fish in aquariums, bearded dragons and other lizards, snakes, rabbits, and hamsters. We’ve owned many dogs, and we’ve had a cat for a short time. Unfortunately, we found out that I was allergic to cats and my allergy was bad. Luckily, we found a good home for the cat. My wife and I were very sad that we had to part ways with the cat, but I just got too sick, so sick that it was dangerous. I should say I am not allergic to dogs.

We were not always good pet owners. Mistakes were made. For example, our five year old daughter brought home a dozen minnows that we put in an aquarium. They were basically fish that did not end up as bait. We did a lot of fishing for a while. We placed the minnows in a clean aquarium and fed them what we were told to give them. Our daughter named them Sally one, Sally two, Sally three, Sally four, Sally five, Sally six, Sally seven, Sally eight, Sally nine, Sally ten, Sally eleven, and Sally twelve.

Freshwater fish Riffle minnow (Alburnoides bipunctatus) underwater photography. Minnow in clean water and nature habitat. Natural light. Lake and river habitat. Wild animal. Underwater photo of fish.
Sally four on the left and Sally five on the right. Minnows Asset id: 1182854671 by Rostislav Stefanek

As I mentioned, we were not always good pet parents. Our five year old daughter thought that the minnows needed a more interesting environment, so she poured cranberry juice in the aquarium. We were able to clean it out and save the minnows that time. But when she poured red paint in the aquarium, we were not successful in doing so. Our son also had a snake that needed to be fed subdued but live mice. We discovered that if you walk into a pet store and tell them you want to buy mice to feed your snake, they won’t sell the pet mice to you. Long story short we struggled with feeding the snake and eventually he died. We felt awful, but we realized that keeping a snake as a pet is not a good idea unless you really know what you are doing.

Our Dogs

The dogs we own and have owned have a very special place in our hearts. They’ve given us so much unconditional love, special moments, entertainment, and not to mention hilarious moments that we are still laughing about years after they happened. We used to have a Labrador called Baylor. Well, more correctly, he was one quarter Rhodesian Ridgeback but mostly a yellow Labrador. He was a funny and loving dog and the most skilled surfer counter I’ve ever witnessed. We also had a German Shepherd named Baby. She was also a rescue. She was a great guard dog and a loving stepmother to our Leonberger puppy Bronco. She fiercely protected him.

Our Labrador mix Baylor is lying down looking into the camera. He is on the left. Our German Shepherd Baby is lying down and looking into the camera. She is on the right.
Baylor our Labrador Rhodesian Ridgeback mix on the left and our German Shepherd Baby on the right. They were both old in this photo.

Bronco, or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, was our Leonberger dog. This is a big dog and a rare breed related to Saint Bernards. We got him as a puppy from a Canadian breeder who likely is North America’s most prominent Leonberger breeder. Before we were allowed to buy him, we had to go through an interview to make sure we would be good dog parents. Bronco was a friendly, confident, loving, and funny dog. He was also very protective of our other dogs as well as our hamsters. He rescued run away hamsters on several occasions. He even put them in his mouth once and carried them to safety. He had a great sense of smell and one time he alerted us to Baylor having an oncoming insulin shock and on another occasion he saved our Pug Daisy’s life.

Color photo of Leonberger puppy. He is wearing a scarf.
Bronco our Leonberger at three months old.
Bronco is standing on a red leather sofa. I am standing next to the sofa and Bronco is reaching over giving me a hug.
Our Leonberger dog Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle when he was young. He is giving me a hug.
Claudia my wife sitting in a red sofa with our very big dog in her lap.
Our Leonberger Bronco sitting in my wife’s lap. He was 167 pounds at the time.

In addition to Baylor, Baby and Bronco we’ve had small dogs including our Japanese Chin Ryu, our Pug Daisy and our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo who is still with us. Ryu and Daisy were funny and easy dogs and Rollo is very energetic, curious, intelligent and funny, but admittedly a bit of work.

A black and white Japanese Chin and a Pug are sitting inside a red suitcase that us on the floor.
Ryu and Daisy are protesting that we are leaving for a trip. We had someone watching them, but they still hated it when we left.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd puppy peeking out behind a red sofa and looking straight into the camera.
Rollo peeking out behind the sofa.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd biting a Leonberger’s tail.
Rollo frequently bit our Leonberger Bronco’s tail, and he even swung in it like a swing. He climbed all over Bronco. Bronco was very patient with him.

What is good about having a pet?

Pets bring a lot of entertainment and joy and they add life to a home. They keep you busy and keep your mind off problems, conflicts and doom scrolling. Intelligent mammals, such as dogs, will also give you cuddles, unconditional love, and they can comfort you. For example, a few weeks ago I was watching a movie that was touching and bit sad and I got a bit emotional That’s when I noticed our dog Rollo staring at me with loving eyes as he tilted his head. Then he came over to me and gave me a dog hug (pressing his body towards mine).

Another advantage of owning a dog is that they need a walk every day. Walking your dog a couple of miles per day will keep you healthy as well. Studies show that dog owners live longer than other people. In addition, dogs can provide practical services such as alerting you when strangers approach your house, they can be guard dogs, sniff out diseases and seizures, in our case without any training.

Your Responsibilities as Pet Owner

You need to feed your pet, provide clean water at all times, wash those food and water bowls daily with soap and hot water, care for your pet, keep it healthy, wash it and clean it, pay for veterinary bills, play with it and provide opportunity for exercise. If your pet is a mammal or a more advanced animal, such as a dog, you need to love it, train it, and it needs to be part of the family. If you are going to keep it on a chain in the backyard, leave it to be lonely most of the time, or uncomfortable, or let it take its own walks without supervision, or return it to a shelter when it gets old and sick, then don’t get a pet, especially not a dog.

The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle

Finally, I would like to mention that I wrote a book about Bronco and Leonbergers. About 60% of the book is about Bronco’s daring and often hilarious adventures and 40% of the book is information on Leonbergers, breed history, breed standard, training, care, health, how to get one, and there is an extensive resource guide towards the end of the book.

The face of an old Leonberger, title, and author name.
This is the front cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the book

The book is available in a lot of places including Amazon in the US, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and many other places.

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Author: thomasstigwikman

My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.

54 thoughts on “Daily Writing Prompt What is good about having a pet”

  1. A wonderful tribute to our pets, Thomas! They add so much joy and love into our lives, don’t they? Yes, it’s a lifelong commitment, and to them, we are their world. Thank you, my friend, for calling attention to the care they need and for sharing your interesting pet stories. Much enjoyed! For me, my cats are family, the children I never had. And are treated with devotion!!! Sending light and blessings to you and yours, pets included! ✨🙏

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    1. Thank you so much Susana and you are so right. They add a lot of love and joy to our lives. It is wonderful that you are treating your cats with devotion. I am also sending light and blessings to you and yours, including your cats!

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    1. Thank you so much Pooja. Yes they hated it when we took out the suitcases. It is funny how they understood pretty quickly what they were for. After a very sad mistake we learned how to handle travel. We had someone, or a couple of people, the dogs knew, come to the house a few times per day, to feed them, walk them, and if possible sleep over with them. Don’t board them in other people’s houses unless you know the people really well.

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      1. Yeah, one of my friends that has a dog does the same when she travels. She put him at a pet housing or something like that and he didn’t like it at all. So now she leaves him at home and has her parents check up.

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  3. I would hope everyone reads this post, Thomas. Being a good pet parent is a responsibility that some folks should never take on. Having worked with rescue groups I can tell you that some humans need to be put in jail for the treatment their pets have received. Thanks for this. PS wash those food and water bowls daily with soap and hot water

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    1. Thank you so much John for your kind words. I’ve read and heard about how some pets have been treated by their owners and it is heart breaking. If you can’t treat them right, don’t get them. I am glad to hear you volunteered with rescue groups. Thank you for doing that. Once again I forgot to mention about washing the food and water bowls. We do it every day but I forgot to mention it. I copied and added your sentence. Thank you John.

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    1. They were pretty big mistakes and unfortunately the pets in question did not make it. However, we learn from our mistakes, well as long as that’s what you want to do. There are some people who don’t learn from their mistakes.

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  6. An excellent post on pet ownership and such a great tribute to them, too. We don’t have a dog at the moment but have had lovely dog companions and friends in the past. We are going to get another one, an older rescue whose human has perhaps passed.

    We used to have cats also but like you, M became extremely allergic. We unfortunately had to find a new home for ours, too. They were lovely little cats but they made M very sick.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Lynette. It is great that you are planning to get a rescue. They certianly need our help. Some people are very allergic to cats, like me and M, and you don’t really have a choice. It is the cat or you risk dying.

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    1. Thank you Robbie. The snake story is a terrible one. The snake would not eat anything but live mice and they also had to be immobilized a bit for him to catch it. We were told to hold the mouse in front of the snake and hit the mouse with a hammer then let the snake take it. In addition, no one would sell us mice if we were honest about how we would treat them. The result was that we underfed the snake and did not realize how much we underfed him. One day he just died. We may have been unlucky because our snake was difficult to feed but it was more than we could handle.

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  8. Lulu: “This is a great post about all your pets over the years and your misadventures too!”Charlee: “The story about your daughter and the fish reminds of our story about Oona and the fish.”Oona: “Oona killed all the fish on the first try. LIKE A NINJA.”Java Bean: “Ayyy, and thank you for explaining to everyone about what they should do to care for their pets. Everybody should just ignore the part about washing us though.”Chaplin: “NO BATHS!!!”

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    1. Ha ha thank you Lulu, Charlee, Oona and Chaplin. Depending on the breed and the fur maybe you should not have too many baths. Our Leonberger was the kind of dog who should have too many baths, but he loved baths. Rollo on the other hand should have more baths but he does not like it. Isn’t that backwards.

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  13. I’m sure every pet owner has had their share of failed moments. The difference between a good and bad pet owner is one who does their best to love and care for an animal. Everyone understands that accidents happen, but that’s much different than being irresponsible by not providing adequate food and shelter for a pet or not taking them regularly to the vet.

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  14. If you cannot handle the pet when it gets old, and you are not going to treat it like family, then don’t get it.

    Exactly! Thank you for pointing this out, Thomas. Too many people don’t understand that having a pet is a serious commitment. The fish and snake mishaps were unfortunate, as well as your cat allergy, but you’ve had a wonderful family of dogs! 💖 Ryu and Daisy sitting in the suitcast to protest – so funny! 😃 And the magnificent Bronco lives on forever, thanks to your book and blog. Even though Rollo is more work, the rewards surely outweigh the challenges. That puppy pic of him behind the sofa is heart-meltingingly adorable! 😍 We feel the same way about our rescue dog, Zoey, who was a homeless stray.

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    2. Thank you so much Debbie for your very kind words. The snake mishap makes us feel bad but with a snake who wouldn’t eat anything but live mice that were somewhat incapacitated it became very difficult. Animal abuse no matter what you did. You are right Rollo is difficult but he is also hilarious. Very emotional but also very funny and loving.

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  15. A very warm read, Thomas. I think I’d be heartbroken to learn that I’m allergist to cats, but at least you found it a good home. Failed pet moments, and the associated anxiety / heartbreak is all part of the process. One of the most depressing experiences of my life was having to find new homes for our cats after S and I got divorced. You have had quite the journey with your many pets over the years, every time I see that photo of Le Bronco giving you a hug, I’m amazed all over again by what a giant he was.

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    1. Thank you so much Leighton. About the cat, my wife and I were young at the time, mid twenties and I had grown up in a home without any pets, and we did not really know many people with cats, so I had no idea. Then when we got the cat I discovered that I was very allergic. In less than two weeks I could barely breath. Bronco or Le Bronco was very affectionate. He loved leaning into, basically doing a dog hug. Our Rollo is the same way in that sense but he is lot more active, nervous, emotional and reactive, which is tiring but fun.

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  16. I’ve had my dog, Bau, now for ten years. Although there have been some expensive vet bills and sleepless nights he has been and continues to be a great joy. He is my companion, walking partner, volunteer pal, writing muse. Through meeting other dogs, I have made friends with their owners. He brings a welcome presence in my home and greets me with enthusiasm when I come home and fills my heart with love and care. 🐾🐕

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    1. Carol that is wonderful. It sounds like you have a very good relationship with your dog and that your dog provide you with a lot of support and good things. I did not mention anything about meeting other dogs and making friends with other owners. That is a great thing that we had with Bronco and most of other dogs, but not so much Rollo. He does not get along with other dogs. He got long well with Bronco and our Pug Daisy but not dogs outside the family.

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  18. What a fun pet post, Thomas, but one that also conveys the responsibilities that go with owning a pet. I’m partial to your dog photos, as you know. By the way, I recently finished Doggie Haiku which I truly enjoyed. This makes me think of Copper, but then again, he’s always in our minds and hearts.

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