Pet Drama

This is a hedgehog. Cute, isn't he (or she, as the case may be...)? We are thinking about getting one. No, I have not had a mental health check-up recently. Perhaps I should. Actually, this is my husband's idea, believe it or not.

It began last summer when we gave away our doggie (a win-win situation, I assure you). Everyone started asking about our next pet. After we moved, I promised, we would address the issue.

So, in February, when most of the boxes were unpacked, we acquired Sean, our betta fish. He is a sweet little guy who requires very little of my time and attention. I thought we were all satisfied, but, alas, a fish cannot be held, does not make any noise, isn't very cuddly... Hence, the requests began again, this time for a guinea pig.

We've done some research, talked to many friends, and it seemed this little animal could be a good fit for us. Our eldest daughter began saving her money and doing extra chores to earn cash. The necessary amount to purchase a rodent (I always promised we would never own either a rodent or a reptile. One should never say never...) is within reach.


And then my husband came home from work the other day and announced that he'd been talking with co-workers about pets. He received a few negative reviews about guinea pigs, but a rave review about.... hedgehogs. I thought he was kidding. But the next thing I knew, everyone was huddled around the computer looking at websites on these little critters.

They are cute. Apparently, they neither smell nor make noise. They might be a little prickly, but I guess you get used to that.

To add to the urgency, Sean doesn't seem to be doing very well. He's not eating much and appears rather lifeless most of the time. I never thought I could be so sad about a fish! I guess that's the beauty of pets - learning to care for something that truly depends on you, an exercise is selflessness...

I have such fond memories of all my childhood pets, and I really do want my kids to have the same. So, it seems we're headed down another road to pet ownership. Where this journey will take us remains to be seen.