| I had a pet when I was a child in my native country. It was a cat. Although the cat was cute, I didn't like it because it bit me many times, so I was afraid of it. After I had been in San Francisco for a while, I saw Americans treat pets the same as people, and the pets are so gentle and never attack the people. I started to change my mind slowly. Once I needed to help my friend take care of his pet. In the beginning I was afraid. I didn't touch it and waited until the dog sat down. At last I felt the dog was very gentle and affectionate. I touched it and it looked like it enjoyed it and I felt so happy.--Ricky |
| A few years ago, when I was in my country, I bred my dog three times. My first dog was loved by all the family because he came to my home after a couple of days as soon as he was born. So, he lived with us for many years. But, when he was about ten years old, he was killed and became healthy food for humans because my grandparents started to live with us and they seemed like they didn't want to raise a dog and my family had no time to take care of him. My family was sad and cried. In my country, a few people eat dog meat for their health. But, most people don't like to eat it. In America, on the way home I can see many people going somewhere with their dogs and exercising in the park. As many parks are big, a lot of dogs can run around and exercise. But I couldn't do that in my country. The park is so small and there are just a few in my country. I miss my first dog. Oh, I forgot to let you know his name. It was Minam. Next time if I have a dog, I hope that I can exercise with my dog.--Eun-Suk |
| Since my childhood I have really liked animals. My parents took me to the circus and to the zoo. In my country I had a beautiful dog. Its name was Dara. That means "present" because she was a present for my birthday. She was extremely friendly and smart. We counted, and she knew about 100 words. When I came to America I was very surprised at how people treated their pets. It was like worshipping them. Having pets here is very expensive and hard. Food, visits to the vet, insurance, etc. Moeover, I don't like overfed pets. I visit the San Francisco Zoo sometimes. That is a big pleasure for me. I like the surroundings. I think that really helps people to understand how important it is to guard the environment. In my country the environment is a very big problem, especially after the Chernobyl catastrophe. I think that the environment is the most important thing for life over this small Earth.--Lilya |
| I'd like to talk about pets in my country. People liked dogs and cats a few years ago, but now they have a lot of pets like spiders, lizards, bats, lions...At that time I thought a pet was just a dog or a cat, but a pet can be any kind of animal if someone likes it. I felt scared and strange that people had those kinds of animals. Now I've changed my mind, because it doesn't matter which animal is a pet. They are all alive and animals. They can be pets.--Giryun |
| I am from Russia. In Russia the first problem is the citizens who are people. A lot of people don't have food and medicine. The next problem is the pets. The pets eat the same food as the people. A lot of people don't have money to buy other food in a shop for their pets. I had a cat and a dog in my country. Now I don't have pets, because I live in an apartment and my landlord doesn't like pets. In my country pets are treated the same as in America. The zoos in Russia have endangered animals. A lot of places don't have zoos. The problems are very big.--Iosif |
| I remember that when I lived with my younger sister in Taiwan, we both had a pet. I had a dog which my sister found after she had already gotten another one that someone had given to her. So we had two dogs at our apartment, but they never fought with each other. I heard somebody say that the first dog always has the authority at the place where it arrived first. Another reason is that the first dog is braver than the other one. They had different personalities, but they were both lovely and sweet. They gave us wonderful memories.--Beatrice |
| I like cats, but they give my son allergies. One day I went to my friend's house. Her daughter has two cats. One is white and the other one is a gray color. They are so beautiful and so quiet. They just sit in front of you. My aunt had a blue bird that learned to say "hello" and sang a song.--Doris |
| In Japan, a kind of bird named "toki" and another named "nipponia nippon" became endangered species. The government protected them and the Chinese government presented some to Japan. Still now toki are few, but they are increasing little by little. As for zoos, I think it is good to protect endangered species, but I don't like cages. Of course, animals don't like cages either. I like a safari park, because animals are at least a little bit free. American dogs are more polite than Japanese dogs. I don't know why. Do they have secret training?--Mizuho |
| In my native country, China, only special animals would be protected. Most animals were unprotected. In the farmer's market you can buy any animal to eat. In the restaurant, if you give a lot of money, you can eat cats, dogs, snakes, fruit foxes, and even monkey brains. Some people kill tigers, bears, and other animals to make medications to sell. In the U.S., people in most families like pets. People feed the dogs and cats and take care of them. There are many pet hospitals to cure the animals. Killing and eating cats, dogs, and pigeons is prohibited. I like pets very much, but I can't feed and take care of one because I don't have money to buy cat food and my house is very small and I'm not the owner.--Tony |
| My pet is a cat named "Kitty Cat." she loves me and I love her too. We always play and sleep together. Americans treat pets the same as in my country. I always go to the zoo because I want to see different animals that I never saw in my native country. Yes, zoos can help endangered species because in some other countries there is no space for them. They make a residential or commerical office building, and the environment changes. The problems of the environment in our country are especially with water, trees, mountains, and the land. The way they make commercial office buildings means the animals in our country are endangered.--Maribeth |
| Personally, I think American people treat their pets like a person. I'm not saying that is wrong, but I think it's too much. In my country they don't care as much as Americans, but they like their pets a lot (like me). I really like pets. I used to have a dog and her name was "Laila." Two years ago she died. I really miss her. She was the best dog I ever had.--Cristina |
| When I was a child, I had a lot of animals--dogs, a rabbit, a bird, etc. It was really nice. I think for a child it's really good to have a pet because you have a little responsibility and affection. Now I don't have an animal because I live in a small apartment and it is a lot of work to have an animal, but I think later if I have a child, I will have a pet.--Laeticia |
| I like animals, and my kids like animals too, so we often go to the San Francisco Zoo. My son is only two years old. He likes to watch tigers, lions, elephants, and crocodiles. My daughter, who is six years old, likes to watch monkeys and birds, especially flamingos and peacocks. We are very happy in the zoo because it's very nice, clean and safe. But one thing always bothers us. When we play in the playground or a park or a beach, some dogs that look like wolves come without a leash, and their owner is far away behind them. My kids are very afraid that the dog might bite them. Maybe we will also see some dog's poo-poo in the grass or on the road. "That's yucky!" my daughter always says!--Zhao |
| I love dogs. I've always wanted to have one, but I'm afraid I can't take care of them well. My friend, who has dogs, told me taking care of a dog isn't easy. It's just like taking care of a child. You have to treat them well. First, you need to read books about dogs. Then choose the right one and teach them everything from when they are puppies. I think Americans treat pets better than in my country. There are many services for pets here. When a dog is sick, it's easy to find a pet doctor. When you are not home, you can send your dog to a pet motel. If you don't have time to walk your dog, there is a dog walker that can help you. Also you can bring your dog to a dog hair salon to make the dog pretty. If the environnment is clean, it is easy to keep the dog clean. Dogs are always people's best friend. I hope I will have a dog next year!--Cindy |
| A lot of the people in my country like to have pets. For me, I don't like any animals because I'm very afraid of them. Some day I want to go to the zoo. I haven't seen the animals and visited them. Americans treat animals very well, just like people. I think it is very interesting. The panda in my country is protected as an endangered specie. We must protect the environment and animals like people.--Huan Ping |