Of all the animals on this earth, only human beings keep other animals as pets. None of the other animals keeps pets. It sounds a bit strange but it is a fact.
Human beings keep many different types of pets, the most common ones being dogs and cats. Other pets include birds, guinea pigs, white mice and rabbits. Then there are some really weird pets that people keep such as snakes and spiders.
Many house owners keep dogs to guard their houses as well as for the company. I suspect the former is a more important criterion for keeping dogs. Dogs, being naturally inquisitive creatures, bark when they see something new or strange. They are natural early-warning devices. However, most dogs are friendly once they know that someone is not a threat. So it is common to see children and adults playing with their dogs. Their joy is obvious.
However, the dog does need care. Regular meals, bath and grooming are essential so that they remain healthy. Otherwise, they tend to become mangy and surly. We can see this in the stray dogs that we come across sometimes.
Cats are natural predators. So they do keep the house they live in free of rats. However, cats are not as friendly as dogs. They usually keep to themselves except when they want some attention.
My neighbour keeps pigeons. These birds are free to fly around as they please. They only return to their pigeon holes to eat and to spend the night. It seems easy keeping pigeons, but my neighbour says it is not so. Pigeons eat a lot. So he has to spend a considerable sum of money buying seeds and peas for them to eat. There is another big problem with keeping pigeons and that is they leave their droppings all over the place. This is definitely a health hazard. I have mentioned this to my neighbour but he does not seem to care.
Another neighbour of mine keeps song-birds. He has a couple of magpie-robins and about half a dozen spotted-doves. These birds can really sing. Every morning their sweet singing wake me up. This is really a pleasure. I am sure my neighbour keeps these birds for the pleasure of their songs too. But like pigeons, they eat a lot and so this neighbour has to spend a large sum of money keeping them. These birds are not cheap either. They can cost hundreds of ringgit each. Nevertheless, my neighbour is very proud of his birds. It gives him pleasure and that, I suppose, is the main purpose of keeping pets.
I have seen people keeping guinea pigs, white mice and rabbits as pets but these are not so common. Each animal has its special needs and not everyone knows how to look after them properly. I have not met anyone keeping snakes or other weird animals, but I have heard of them. I wonder what pleasure they derive from these strange and dangerous pets. I wonder too how they look after them.
Anyhow I suppose each person has his or her own reasons for keeping pets, and as long as they look after their pets properly it is all right.