Pets

I am not sure if this experience is limited to me or not, but from the pre-schools days on, my kids had at least one assignment each year relating to a pet. It could be "Bring a picture of your Pet" or "Write about your pet" and so on. This is from the schools where they have started being sensitive to single-parent households.. by not referring to moms and dads, but as parent.

My feelings on this were "I love animals as long as they are not in the house!".
So, I urged the children to make up their pet in the assignments. We cut out pictures of animals out of store commercials. and so on..
As they grew up, they visit households that have pets and the minute they come back, the attack starts.
Can we please please get a cat? - Me: No.. hairballs.. I dont want to declaw.. I dont want to smell litter..
Can we then get a dog? -Me: No.. shuddering about early morning walks on winter days (since I can guarantee that once the dog is here, it would be moi who is taking care of it), we'd have to fence our yard... immigrant families..
Can we at least get a gerbil, you dont have to declaw it or walk it.. just give it a wheel - Me: Of course not! Their arguments make sense, but I will not willingly have a rodent in the house.. something about how I grew up.
OK.. how about a horse? -Me: Well.. I'd have to move out to make room!

Well, one winter, I finally caved in and bought a fish bowl with a goldfish and a fighter fish. I spent hours in front of it, just watching them move around. To cut a long story short, they both died of shock when I changed the water one cold, snowy night, when I did not have any bottled water left and used tap water.
End of my pet days.. Next one is maybe a turtle.
As luck would have it, D rescued a turtle one morning from the middle of the road and brought it home. But he was too timid and didn't eat any of our lettuce or carrot offerings the entire day. We let him out on the lower back deck and persumably, he went on his merry way.
Still the kids' demands grew more persuasive and stronger..
We even thought about adopting a pet at a farm, where we'd go take care of the pet's needs and help groom etc, but they would house it.
My older one has to ger social service learning hours as a requirement for graduation. So, I took him to a local farm which was non-profit, which dealt with rescuring (unwanted) farm animals and chickens hatched in classroom projects. He helps out once a week, sweeping the barns, repiring fences,helping build shelters, feeding and medicating the animals etc.
The hightlight of this experience so far was when farmer let him drive a tractor (supervised of course) to clear some area! He was thrilled! I had to listen to him saying:
"oh.. the brake on your car is on the right.. on the tractor.."
but all in all, a win-win solution. I do the drop off/pick up or stick around when my younger one wants to help out with some gentler duties. I gladly write a check now and then to the farm or shop for pet food when out grocery shopping, my heart singing!
My older one get SSL hours, loves farm work, the animals benefit and I am free to roam the world (not that I do)!