A Class of their own

What animals make the best/worst pets?

We were just the other day, saying how snakes make boring pets, but it probably depends on what you are looking for. They can be decorative. They might even make you more interesting to others. They, of course, won’t greet you affectionately or snuggle on the couch. Probably won’t learn any tricks or be obedient. I started thinking about other reptile or aquatic pets.

My granddaughter just had her pet goldfish die. That was a whole thing. She was completely devastated even though it didn’t live long enough for me to even meet it. I saw a few pics and well, goldfish…yet she had already fallen in love.

Then, I since I am in school classrooms this week, I thought about class pets. Years ago first grade had baby chicks hatch out of incubated eggs. Second grade always ordered butterfly eggs in special containers so the kids could see caterpillars make their chrysalis and then turn into butterflies. When the school year was ending, homes needed to be found for the growing baby chicks. Luckily butterflies were easy. They were just let go. Butterflies make great class pets.

Have you seen the movie Leo? It’s about two class pets who have some unusual hidden talents. Adam Sandler and Bill Burr are the voices of Leo the lizard and his friend Squirtle the turtle. Together they put a comic spin on coming-of-age in the elementary school grades. (kindergartners are hilarious, 5th graders have some issues they are grappling with as they head toward middle school). It’s a fun, warm, entertaining story about two unpredictably great pets.

You never know, butterflies and lizards and even maybe snakes might be the best pets. Less work, less hair. Okay, not nearly as entertaining or adorable as our comdeic dogs and cats, but to each its own.

We actually had a pet snake when I was growing up. It wouldn’t eat so we let it go. It was a small California King and we were living in California at the time. So nothing like letting a python go in Florida. I don’t think, anyway, but it was the seventies…