Quote:A properly cared-for goldfish in a suitable (i.e., huge) habitat can live for upwards of 20 years, longer than most dogs or cats. If your two-year-old dog needed surgery to save its life, would you do it, or would you let the dog die and get a new one?

 

Of course, given that the average goldfish costs about $2 and the average dog...let's say $500, this was the equivalent of spending about $117,500 on that dog...

 

I wouldn't do it, but I can understand why someone with enough money and attachment to the fish would.

We got all of our dogs given to us.  Same for cats.  I don't think I'd ever spend $500 to purchase a dog.  I have however spent plenty of money on vet bills for dogs. Once when our border collie (sadly passed away almost 7 years ago) had whipworms, we had to spend a lot of money to keep her in a animal hospital for a while.  And then we had to cook her hamburger and macaroni and cheese.  She eventually got better.  Another of our dogs was viciously attacked by two other dogs.  (She was a really small dog).  Again, she sadly passed away a few years ago, but we paid to have her surgery (though eventually the owner of the other two dogs paid for it.  Especially since it was on our property, and their dogs were loose) 


People are attached to their pets for different reasons.  I think Goldfish are easier to replace, because most people don't form attachments to them.  Doesn't mean others don't.

 

Dogs and cats are generally more accepted as pets that you attach yourselves to, because they take much more work than a goldfish.  And they have more personality.  You can play catch with a dog, or tug of war.  Our border collie would do whatever work whoever she was with was doing.  If you were digging a hole, she was digging a hole.  If you were gathering sticks out of the yard, she would be doing the same thing.  Hard not to grow attached to a dog like that.

 

I don't think it's the cost, rather the ease of replacing.  With a dog or a cat, the next one you get won't be the same.  Even if it's the same breed.  With a goldfish... well, the new fish will swim just the same.  


There's plenty of pets to get attached to.  Gerbils (My kids begged me to let them get gerbils, but we were totally against it.)  Parakeets.  Parrot's.  Hamsters.  Snakes.  Ferrets.  Turtles.  And many more.

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