The Year of the Pet
Many choose to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit by adopting rabbits as pets. Naturally, this makes one wonder if each animal in the Chinese zodiac would be a good pet. (The following is strictly my own opinion.)
- Rat: Most people I know consider (house) rats pests rather than pets. So rats would not be a popular choice as a pet.
- Ox: Only if the owner has access to a vast grassland that has water running through it. Meanwhile, as many workers claim that they work like an ox, it can be said that many already have an ox as a pet.
- Tiger: Anyone owning a pet tiger is just asking for trouble. Besides, many households already have a tiger (parent) or two in its midst and there is no need for another tiger in the house.
- Rabbit: Rabbits love running around. So life in the cage probably is not the best for the rabbit.
- Dragon: Dragons (aside from Komodo dragons) are mythical creatures, so it is not possible to have dragons as pets.
- Snake: Some people do keep snakes in their homes. So I suppose snakes can be considered pets. Of course, if a pet snake is let loose, chaos would ensue. So they have to be handled with care.
- Horse: Sure, horses can be considered pets, as long as the owner has something big enough to house it and enough space for it to run around. This eliminates most urban dwellers.
- Lamb: Lambs tend to be gentle, but not many people living in cities have the land or the time to graze them. So lambs probably are not a good choice for a pet.
- Monkey: From what I know, monkeys like to move around in all directions. So unless the owner has lots of patience and proper protection for every visitor, monkeys do not make suitable pets. Besides, lots of parents already claim that their children are monkeys.
- Rooster: Perhaps the impression that many who claim their roosters are their pets end up putting in cockfights makes me think that roosters are not pets.
- Dog: Many already own pet dogs. The problem is that many people adopt dogs to celebrate the Year of the Dog and abandoning them after their interest fizzles.
- Pig: In a house with a pet pig, keeping the house clean would likely be a tough task. Meanwhile, the common perception is that pigs are lazy. If that is the case, then there are plenty of humans masquerading as pet pigs around. Aside from that, many people in love routinely call their love piggy, so they, in a way, already own a pig.
Since many animals of the Chinese zodiac are farm animals, they probably do not make good pets for people living in the city. However, it turns out that we do have a few animals of the Chinese zodiac living with us, metaphorically at least.