Pets
Thanks for joining us!
This episode was written by Kara and voiced by Kara and T.
Episode art was created by Jean.
It was originally released in April 2024.
— Pet Episode Summary —
What are pets? —
They’re animals we are part of our families! They live alongside us and we help to take care of them.
Some live in our home with us, like cats and dogs. Some live in special cages or spaces, like birds, hamsters, fish. Some live in separate structures outside near our homes, like guinea pigs, chickens, and horses.
How do we take care of them? —
We feed them, and it’s important to know what type of food they eat! Horses eat hay, but cats and fish don’t.
We help keep them clean by changing the bedding, litter boxes, and/or things they spend their days and sleep on. We also give dogs baths.
We help them get exercise and movement, whether that’s playing fetch with your dog, giving your hamster a ride around the house in a special plastic ball, or taking your horse for a walk.
We give them love, affection, and attention.
We name them! Giving a pet a name helps it feel like it’s part of your family. What would you name a pet?
Part of having a pet is living harmoniously with them —
We train dogs to be comfortable taking walks on a leash and following commands like “sit” and “stay”.
Cats can be trained to pee in their litter boxes, and horses can be trained to have people ride on them.
Some pets have a special space that’s just theirs, like a crate or stall. Don’t just walk into those.
You should always ask the pet’s owner and your grown-up if you can touch it.
There’s a great way of remembering how to approach a dog: WAG. W: Watch the dog’s body. Is it stiff? Does it look uncomfortable or scared? A: Ask the grownups if it’s ok to touch it. G: Greet. How should you go up to it? Dogs often don’t like to have hands or faces going towards their face, so giving them a pat on the back is better.
Some animals are not meant to be pets and that’s ok —
People can be allergic to certain animals, and it makes them sick. They may get itchy eyes or sneeze a lot when around that animal. If that happens, it’s important to give an animal space, even if you really really want to go up to it or give it a pet. Take a photo instead to remember meeting it!
Some animals are just not meant to be pets! They can’t be trained or are too big to live with humans. Wild animals need space to roam and hunt. And that's ok, animals aren’t always meant to live as humans want them to.
If if we could pretend, and have any animal as a pet, what you have?? A lion who would cuddle with you at bedtime? A dolphin who would swim alongside you?
Pets are wonderful additions to our families —
They can bring us comfort and fun. It feels good to take care of another creature!
We can learn from them – animals have special skills that humans don’t have. Cats can jump 5X their own height. Dogs can smell much better than humans can.
Could you draw a picture of your pet? What about a pretend one?