I am just not a pet person. Growing up we had goldfish…until they died. I am allergic to all things furry and really don’t like dog slobber. I can’t get into the story of the monkey who adopted a kitten in Indonesia. The pictures are cute and all, but I have better things to do with my day. I know most people don’t feel this way about pets. My own son once tried to trade me for a dog.
“Daddy, when mommy goes to work, and stays at work, and sleeps at work….then can we get a dog?”
He idolizes my in-laws’ dog and sleeps every night with her stuffed replica. I think this is adorable, but I still don’t need a dog of my own. And I thought it was a bit much when he came home from camp with a glittery card he had made for her. Don’t tell him I never sent it on….
Growing up I really wanted a pet. I wanted a kitten because they looked soft and cuddly and I had friends who had one. My parents, who didn’t want to take care of my pet, wisely said no. I think I would have tired of the responsibility pet ownership pretty quickly.
When I was interviewing for residency, the program where I ultimately went asked every candidate to stand up in grand rounds and tell a little bit about yourself including whether or not you had any pets. I later learned the correct answer was to have a lab as this was what the chairman of the department had. At least I was able to draw some laughs when I answered that I didn’t have any pets but I had a husband and that was enough.
This was a paraphrase of what my mother would always tell me when I asked for a pet. You have a brother, and that’s enough. And it was.
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