I desperately wanted a pet growing up. I begged my parents to get me a dog, or a hamster or even a fish. 

I never got a dog, a hamster or a fish. And I’m glad I didn’t.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up with one, but I don’t like pets. Don’t get me wrong, I think pets are cute. I love playing with my friends’ dogs and petting their cats. I just wouldn’t want to have one of my own. 

Pets are so much work. Dogs require multiple walks a day, lots of training and their hair gets everywhere. Cats are a little better since they don’t need walks and usually require less training than dogs. Cat hair also gets everywhere. It doesn’t help my case that I’m allergic to them.

Even fish require a lot of work to care for; there’s specific rank requirements, filters and water heaters needed to keep fish alive. 

In other words, pets are expensive— and that’s ignoring the fact that they need food and trips to the vet to keep them healthy and safe.

Pets are also messy. Not to belabor my point, but pet hair really does get everywhere. It’s made many pairs of black jeans or leggings look dusty and unclean when previously they were spotless. It’s annoying trying to dust off my clothes (which never works anyway) after an excited dog jumps on me.

Pets also kind of smell bad. 

Maybe people who own pets are nose-blind to it, but you can always tell when someone has a pet, even if their house is super clean. There’s always a musky pet odor lingering in the air, and it’s gross. Even though pets are bathed, they still have that musky scent to them.

Pet lovers will probably crucify me for this, but I also don’t like how pets (usually dogs, but cats are guilty of this, too) are constantly in my space.

I’ve helped pet-sit for friends and their pets constantly try to cuddle, sit on my lap or lick my face. It seems cute, but sometimes I just want to be left alone. With pets, this seems impossible.

Pets are expensive, they smell bad and they won’t leave me alone. I definitely don’t hate animals; I just don’t want to take care of one.