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I was reading this today, and was just wondering what everyone thinks of anthros who keep normal animals as pets.

Hmm, interesting topic... To me it would seem kind of weird, it'd almost be like making racially biased laws. I guess it depends on how you view a "Pet/Owner" relationship. As for my fursona personally, I don't think i'd have him owning a pet.

I still think its odd Red Shetland rides feral horses. but then humans do keep pet monkeys. I think My char would have a pet of some sort tho probably not an equine.

I know this is weird, but I always thought anthro characters should have like a giant bacteria as a pet. Yeah, it's kind of difficult for an anthro to have a pet when they are what humans consider pets.

My fursona has a pet; he's a puppy. She also rides horses. The horses might find it odd, but oh well. I think anthros would be able to have a very close bond with their pets, especially if they are of the same species.

I thought I just got through posting to this thread, but I don't see the post. Hrm.

Anyhow, I'm the one guy that is really bugged by Goofy/Pluto syndrome. What I'm all about is presenting the Anthropomorphic idea as strongly and vividly as possible, which means foremost: never jar the reader out of the fictive dream.

And an anthro dog with a non-anthro dog on a leash, or aroud one, or even in a world where they also exist, has a suspension-of-disbelief blink factor that's just way too high for me.

Am I the only one that thinks an anthro could even have another anthro as a pet?

Compare it to Brian Griffin on Family Guy, for example. Despite being the smartest and most sophisticated member of the entire household, he is still very much the family dog.

A pair of anthros could have a similar relationship. So if it was possible to keep an anthro as a pet, I don't think there would be too much opposition to anyone keeping non-anthro pets.

The only taboo, I think, would be keeping an anthro of your own species as a pet. And even then, not so much a taboo as just a really awkward situation.

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Quote (Terastas @ June 01 2007, 11:24 am)

The only taboo, I think, would be keeping an anthro of your own species as a pet. And even then, not so much a taboo as just a really awkward situation.

Unless there just into BDSM.

Animal pets, I guess I can see it.  Anthro pets, no.  From the animal point of view, it would just be like living with a bigger animal that feeds, protects, and plays with them.  From the anthro's point of view, they see the animal qualities in them and can connect emotionally, but the distinction is still there for higher brain functions.

{Am I making sense?  I'm all tweaked out on painkillers tonight with a crazy migraine.}

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I think you could very easily have anthros with pets. Once you make an animal anthropomorphic, it's no longer the original species, right? In a sense it's no stranger than humans having pets, especially if you think of humans as anthropomorphic chimpanzees. The only niggle I can see would be having anthros with pets that are "too close" to their species. For example, a dog anthro might find it a little weird to have a pet dog, but he probably wouldn't find anything wrong with having a pet monkey. '>

This might get more complicated for fictional worlds that have anthros derived from multiple species, but that could be worked into the story. There could be tension between different species, and pets could end up being one of the focal points:

Quote (Someone from the Feline species @ a meeting intended to rile up his fellow Felines)

We can't trust those mangy Canines! They keep cats as pets! You know what's next, don't you? Turning us into their "pets"!

Hmmm....Interesting thoughts. I never really considered the issue. So, I guess then what would Ferals keep as a pet?
<pictures his fursona walking around with a small puppy in his mouth.>

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Quote (Piper Maru @ June 01 2007, 8:03 pm)

Quote (Terastas @ June 01 2007, 11:24 am) The only taboo, I think, would be keeping an anthro of your own species as a pet. And even then, not so much a taboo as just a really awkward situation. Unless there just into BDSM.

True. Like I said though, it wouldn't be a taboo, just a really weird experience. An anthro would have a hard time looking at a feral of his same species without feeling maybe just a little bit insecure about himself. An anthro husky might look at a feral husky, for example, sleeping on his back and kicking a leg in his sleep and wonder if he does that too.

The scene the keeps coming to mind was in the opening of the second episode of Father of the Pride. In it, Roy says "Goodbye my lions, or should I say, nyaow-w-w-w-rl!" To which Larry frowns and asks: "We don't do that, do we?"

I think what everyone is missing is the *intelligence* of the species in question.

Pets are of minimal intelligence so they accept (and even thrive) in a relationship where they are taken care of and controlled by us. And we feel happy being able to take care of something that would otherwise be unable to cope.

If you turned the human into a dog/human with regular human intelligence, that relationship would not change except to become closer to a parent-child relationship because the dog/human would better understand a dog's needs and feelings.

But if you anthropomorphized the dog and gave it (adult) human intelligence, the relationship turns into that of master-slave.  Unless the two decide to make decisions together and then they become just regular friends.

So if the pet is of low intelligence and the owner is of high intelligence, I see it working just fine.

It wouldn't have to be intelligence that divides the two. It could be consent, or just an inability to overcome one's animal nature. Going back on Brian in Family Guy as an example, he's the smartest member of the family, but he still has a lot of canine instincts and urges, so despite being smart, his habit of chasing rubber balls, answering the call of a can opener and running away from the vacuum cleaner keeps him stuck as the family pet.

So an anthro with human intelligence could still theoretically be kept as a pet, at least so long as he's a sucker for a kind word and a belly rub.

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Quote (Terastas @ June 01 2007, 11:24 am)

Am I the only one that thinks an anthro could even have another anthro as a pet?

Nope.
I'm all for an anthro having another anthro as a pet, as long as it's a mutually-agreed upon arrangement.

However, I *do* get twitchy with the Goofy-and-Pluto thing that Lucifurre mentioned.  I know that technically it's just a cartoon, but when Mickey Mouse has anthro dogs & cats for peers, yet also owns a dog & cat, I get fidgety.  I suppose it's similar to humans having monkeys & chimps for pets, but still-- I had many worried thoughts as a child, wondering how Goofy felt about Mickey having a dog for a pet.

I guess I don't see it to be too weird for an anthro to have a pet.. even the same species.   My picture of Anthro's include the ability to talk and have brain function similar to that of a human being...  domesticated animals do not! I dont see anything wrong with an anthro husky walkin' around with some husky pets '>   Domesticated animals need to be cared for!

In fact, as someone stated above, they would probably share a special bond!

It wouldn't be weird for an anthro to keep a regular animal as a pet.

An anthro cat isn't a cat. It's an anthro cat.

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Quote (Kwan @ June 05 2007, 1:48 am)

However, I *do* get twitchy with the Goofy-and-Pluto thing that Lucifurre mentioned.  I know that technically it's just a cartoon, but when Mickey Mouse has anthro dogs & cats for peers, yet also owns a dog & cat, I get fidgety.  I suppose it's similar to humans having monkeys & chimps for pets, but still-- I had many worried thoughts as a child, wondering how Goofy felt about Mickey having a dog for a pet.

Quote (MorbidCorvid @ June 05 2007, 10:17 am)

It wouldn't be weird for an anthro to keep a regular animal as a pet. An anthro cat isn't a cat. It's an anthro cat.

What he said. Unless it was possible for anthros and ferals to be directly related (like Fnaire and Fnox in Room For One More), I think anthros would consider themselves a different species from their feral counterparts and resent frequent comparisons.

My Fursona is a wolf, but he has a husky for a pet. They hangout, lay on each other, chill. He doesnt see it as weird at all.The only problem is having to keep who's collar is who's straight.

Closed due to gravedigging.