Reply #129: For one thing....

[Zookeeper]

a commitment to either a child or a pet is his/her lifetime. However, for a pet that means an average of 10 to 20 years. For a child, that means for the rest of YOUR life.

You can leave a dog alone for a few hours while you work or play. A cat can stay alone overnight with a couple of bowls of food and water left out. Try that with a two-year old human.

If you discover you're allergic to your pet, you can probably find it a good home. Pets seldom need a ride anywhere or help with college tuition. I never lay awake at night worrying about my pet's future.

Like you, Yollam, I dearly love and adore my pets. But the love (and responsibility and pain) doesn't compare with being a parent.