ARE your annoying children endlessly pestering you for a pet? Here are five options in order of how soon they’ll croak.
Dog
A dog is a big commitment which your child will tire of after a month, leaving you picking up shit every day for the next 16 years. However, it will always be affectionate and pleased to see you, which is more than can be said for your kid, so you will inevitably end up loving it more than them.
Rabbit
Rabbits look cute from a distance, but up close they’re aggressive little bastards that will kick you viciously the moment you pick them up. They live in the garden and won’t stink out your house, but that could mean having a massive run f**king up your lawn for up to eight years. Unless a fox mysteriously gets in through a hole in the mesh one night.
Hamster
These small, sweet animals are perhaps the perfect pet, as they’re cheap and low maintenance. However, it’s worth considering the psychological cost because while they theoretically live for two years, they’re likely to die after as little as six months, meaning you’ll be stuffing a rigid little rodent into a small box and reading a solemn eulogy while your weeping children bury them in the vegetable patch twice a year.
Goldfish
Goldfish have such short lifespans that they might not even survive the trip back from the pet shop. If they do, stick them in a bowl, change the water if you can be arsed and sling some food in now and then. Simple. Also, it’s hard for children to bond with a fish so there won’t be a fuss when it’s dead. Just flush it down the loo and get another one. They won’t even notice.
A garden pet
This is something your children find in the garden, put in a jar and then leave on top of the radiator until it shrivels up and dies. Very little effort needed by them or you. Also works with seaside animals. If that crab expires on the way home, just sling it out the window when you hit a B-road. Easy.
