Pittwater Online News

They can fill your world with their own kinds of sound

They may be furry

Feathered

Finned

Or scaled - although you may need a special licence for having one of those!

Katie Brady/Creative Commons/Flickr

They can even have a shell and call themselves a snail

There’s ant farms

Chooks

Mice and rats

Guinea pigs

Fish

Kittens, puppies and rabbits that grow up to be 

Cats

Dogs

And….rabbits!

Some pets even have their own pets!

Here’s a cat that has a puppy for a pet –  and a puppy that has a cat for a pet - so much for them not getting on together

Here’s a goat that has a rabbit for a pet – you could almost say they are ‘furrs of a similar feather’!

Some are big - like horses!

Some are small - like mice

Pet Mice - picture by  Polarqueen 

Some go bleat

Some go whoof whoof whoof – meaning ‘where’s my treat?’

Others will meow and want to snuggle on your knees

They can be wild birds that pop by to say 'g'day'! And if a cockatoo, may do so for 70 years of days!

They can be lovely old dogs that want to come home and stay - Monika's Doggie Rescue can tell you all about them...

Pets can get up to mischief

and make you laugh

Pets can feel how you're feeling

and make you gasp

Here's our Matilda, she just loves tearing up tissues to bits

Pets can keep you warm at night snuggling around cold toes

Pets can walk beside you, anywhere you go

Pets can teach you how to be a better human being

And when you wake in the morning those loving eyes will be the first thing you are seeing!

Photo: Pixabay/Creative Commons

They're all intelligent

They all have their own personality

If you're doing something you shouldn't

They'll tell you matter of factily

Or stop you with their loving eyes

When we bring them up with lots of love and kisses

Teach them kindly about their little misses - especially when they widdle on the rug

Then we will bring up the best companions

Lifelong friends, bestest buddies and have days filled with moments that matter

So you see, life is better when you have a pet

Looking out for and after someone else is something you will never regret!

This our Matilda, a Sydney Silky, when she was small

Now Matilda is still little, but fully grown, and proves you don't have to be big to be tall in loving licks and puppy dog tail wagging!

Furred, feathered, finned and scaled...

How could you not love them all!?

THe fact that they appear in so many works of Art

Proves that for many many years pets have been good for the heart!

noun - a domestic or tamed animal kept for companionship or pleasure.

verb - stroke or pat (an animal) affectionately.

Origin - Early 16th century (as a noun; originally Scots and northern English): of unknown origin.

The most popular pets are dogs and cats but people also keep house rabbits, ferrets; rodents such as gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas, fancy rats, and guinea pigs; avian pets, such as canaries, parakeets, corvids, parrots, and chickens; reptile pets, such as turtles, lizards and snakes; aquatic pets, such as goldfish, tropical fish and frogs; and arthropod pets, such as tarantulas and hermit crabs.

In NSW not all native animals can be kept as pets, but some species which have been bred in captivity can be kept. None of these animals may be caught in the wild. For most native animals you require a biodiversity conservation licence under Part 2 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 to keep them as pets. You must obtain your licence before you start keeping any native animals as a pet.

Some native birds, like budgerigars, can be kept without a licence.

Licences help us protect and maintain healthy native animal populations and make sure pet owners have enough experience to safely care for their animals. You must be at least 16 years old to hold a licence. Before you apply for a licence, you’ll need to decide what animal you want to keep.

The most common native animals kept as pets are snakes, lizards, frogs and birds.

See the NSW Native Animal Keepers' Species List (PDF 956KB) to find out which native animal you can keep as a pet.