Tell us your stories about choosing a pet for a chance to win a £100 voucher for a pet shop of your choice

[TinaMumsnet]

Should we get a pet? What pet should we get?! Is your family desperate for a pet? Or do you already have one?

Choosing a pet can be exciting, impossible, heart-warming and heart-breaking – sometimes all at once!

We'd love to hear your stories about choosing a pet so share them with us (with photos if you can) for a chance to win a copy of What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss plus a £100 voucher from a pet shop of your choice.

It's the literary equivalent of buried treasure: a brand new, never-before-seen rhyming romp of a picture book from the legendary Dr.Seuss! It's the story of a classic childhood moment: a brother and sister visiting a pet shop to pick a pet, but neither being able to decide which one to go for. Every pet looks like fun, so how in the world do you just pick one?!


'There are moments of genius on every page' - The Telegraph

This discussion is sponsored by Harper Collins Children's Books and will close on 14 March.

[rachelmi]

We started out with a couple of goldfish that were not very exciting tbh. Then my youngest son decided a hamster would be a great pet. It was a fast Russian one with the sharpest teeth ever and drew blood many times. The worst memory I have of Archie (hamster) was when the boys lost him in the sofa, which was new and resulted in having to unpick the back of it to rescue him. He did rather better than their nans budgie who ended up sucked into the vacuum cleaner by accident. I have no idea exactly as to how it happened???

[coffeeisnectar]

When I moved in with dp he already had a cat. Two years ago we went to cpl and got a second cat, a girl. Then last year we were asked to take on a third cat whose owner couldn't keep her and we took her in. She's become dd 2 shadow and sleeps with her, follows her about. Cat four, a boy, has been with us just over a week and was left with us by a neighbour who moved and was unable to take him. He's settled in and is lovely and playful. We didn't choose two of our cats but they've chosen to stay with us.

Boy cat1 is oldest at 14, a real man of a cat, very independent and happy to swipe you if he wants left alone.
Girl cat1 is my baby. She's 10 and so, so sweet natured, adores cuddles and hunts out laps.
Girl cat 2 is very much dds cat. She's 2 and still very silly but absolutely adores dd and will just sit with her wherever she is in the house.
Boy cat2 is 4. Very "lively" and quick with biting and scratching but calming down rapidly as he starts to feel secure here. He slept with us last night for the first time. He sounds like an F1 car when he purrs.

[purplepandas]

We are having this conversation at the moment. We can't have a dog as we're are not about enough. I seem keen on a couple of rescue rabbits as we're had lots before so I feel confident in caring for them. Plus we still have our rabbit shed. DH is not convinced.

[kacky]

As a family we decided to get a cat as a pet. I tried everywhere to find one so that the children and us could go and see them, but no luck. I finally went to cat rescue and they said that they would bring a suitable one around to our house. True enough they came with tortoiseshell kitten who looked like she was scared of everything. The ladie said that they had found her under some pallets with her kittens. Her kittens had been given homes but she hadn't. After we and our children heard this and my youngest picked her up, that was the moment she relaxed and we still have her along with two others and they all lie together snuggled up. We love them to bits.

[Kraggle]

We went to our local rescue after seeing they had kittens online, had our hearts set on a beautiful tabby and white but couldn't pick from the rest as they were all different. When we went to meet them, we fell in love with the tabby and white even more and whilst we were watching all the others, dh looked down and our boy was sitting on the top of his trainer chewing his shoelace! That was it decision was made.

[Charbru123]

We have a chinchilla. They are really fun furry animals that love to play and cuddle up to everyone!

[nettymay]

went to Blue-Cross with son and a very fur-less, poorly cat tapped him on the foot several times. Although the people in charge said she would be hard work we took her home because our son said 'Mum she chose me'. She was with us for 21 years and gave all the family so much love and pleasure. Without the care and kindness of Blue Cross we would not have shared those wonderful years. We all loved her so much.

[winterpark]

I remember when I was 12 my mum and dad said I could have a dog, I had been pestering them for ages, I was allowed to go and choose which one I wanted from a family of weimeraners. They were all so gorgeous but this one puppy came up to me and sat on my lap for a cuddle. That was it, I was in love. We took him home and named him Blue, he has since been gone along time now but I still miss him every day.

[gethro]

15 years ago when our cat died we decided to get a dog,I wanted a Cocker Spaniel so we went to have a look around Baths dogs home.Walking around the pens my Husband spotted a Springer called Toby who was lying by the fence,he spoke to the dog and he looked back at my husband and that was it.
Toby was 4 years old when we got him and lived for 14 years until Christmas 2014 when he passed away in my husbands arms.I missed the company and after a couple of months decided to get another dog so we went back to Bath dogs home,I wanted a Beagle but they had no beagles but there was a gorgeous Chocolate lab called Fudge who was 14 months old but had 2 reserves on him,disappointed we went home and kept looking but couldn't find a dog we felt attached to,a couple of weeks later we went back to the dogs home and the chocolate lab was still there,so we enquired about him to be told he was bought back twice as he pulls on the lead and now had no reserves on him.We took him for a walk and fell for him,he was destructive when we first got him home and chewed 4 tv remotes,shelves out of the tv unit,shoes,coats ect.
1 year on he is brilliant and has settled in well he hasn't destroyed any thing for months and he is great with the 3 year old Grandson.

[icehousekerry]

My husband said we could get a cat, as long as it was a grey boy! So I scoured the area for the only grey boy kitten I could find in the area and as soon as I met his litter he walked up to me, climbed my top, curled up on my shoulder and went to sleep - so I knew he was the one for us!

[mooota1514]

We could never have any cats or dogs because my mum was allergic to them but I would have loved to have had a dog.

[LuckyBluie]

We spent a long time researching our chosen dog breed (Lhasa Apso) and then even longer finding a responsible breeder. Because we already have a senior Border Collie I felt more research was necessary to prevent disruption. Luckily they are now the best of friends, and our Border Collie has thrived since welcoming Teddy home last July. This is Teddy

[mumpetuk1]

We took a long time choosing our dog as we wanted to make sure that they were a breed that did not have any health problems, that were good with kids and did not molt too much.We also made sure that they came from a proper breeder with all the papers. We have had Poppy our Boston Terrier for 9 years now I she is an all round joy!

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Our cats choose us. They weren't happy at home with a dog and the family wanted to rehome them. They had gradually worked their way into our affection and made the children very happy.

[geezerbird44]

We had to think long & hard before getting a dog to make sure an animal would fit into our life and that we were capable of fitting into it's life! However we are now on out 3rd dog and I cannot imagine life without a pet.

[Cailin7]

DCs decided to get hamsters and wanted one each so we went for the russian dwarf variety as they can stay together in groups. We went to the pet shop and they picked their hamster 3 males, however after a couple of days it was apparent that one of them was a female and the 2 males detested one another fighting over said female. It broke DCs hearts to take them back to the shop, but it was for the best. After a while we decided to try again and get another trio, 3 females but one of the girls was aggressive, so we ended up with splitting them up in a cage of their own and they were all much happier and lived well for three years. We now have a budgerigar and a dog who are thick as thieves. Animals are amazing and bring a lot of fun and happiness to our family and home.

[KittyKat88]

When our DDs came along, we had two cats. One (my favourite furry child) sadly died when DD1 was a baby. More recently, my DH wanted to choose some fish and the DDs loved visiting the aquatic stores to look at all the varieties! However, as fish are not the most 'pettable' pets, we also decided to find another cat for our home. The main consideration was that the cat needed to be comfortable around little children. We opted for a kitten that came from the home of someone I knew where the kittens had been raised with lots of kids around so wasn't scared at all. Our cat is very gentle and patient with both my DDs but as she also likes to 'play' my DDs have learnt about how to be kind and caring, but also respectful towards our cat.

[Ikea1234]

We have a tortoise, a girl named Keith (the name was chosen long before the tortoise herself). She is full of character, which we knew on bringing her home, as she weed on my sons lap in the car on the way home. We are inundated with offers to look after her when we go on holiday,as she is so cool, and she is not afraid to tell you what she thinks of just about anything!

[ju2003connor]

My son really wanted a hamster, given they are relatively cheap and have a shortish live span, this is a good trial to see how he can engage and look after a pet. We went to the pet shop, choosing the one with nice markings, all be it he was the one hiding in the corner of the cage in the shop. Turned out to be the nicest hamster ever! My son's interest and commitment to caring for him has not ended, proving he is able to care for a more demanding animal. great starter pet

[Theimpossiblegirl]

Looks a great book.
I've never chosen a pet, we just seem to have inherited them over the years- animals that have needed re-homing. So far it has worked really well (and I have now learned to say no).

[RuthMarianna]

I made a mistake by answering a newspaper ad for a puppy and then let them deliver it to my home meaning that I knew nothing of the puppy's background. Unfortunately she needed a lot of vet care right away and was full of worms which rather alarmed my children when they saw them in her droppings.

[sooz83]

We got our pug Matilda as she was very small and would not be suitable to breed from so she was not wanted by a lady who breeds from pugs. She is a fab dog so although her situation wasn't very nice to begin with we are so pleased to have her.

[frances93]

I work from home and my husband is a taxi driver, he works silly hours so I used to get quite lonely as I have no family or friends in the area. I'd asked for a night away in a hotel for my birthday but my husband got me a puppy. Peppa is the most loyal and loving dog, but a typical crazy Springer Spaniel!

[nikitahopkins90]

I wanted a dog for a long time and did a lot of research of what small breed would be best for me. I settled on a Bichon Frise, who I've had for 5 years now. He is brilliant and a great addition to our family!

[HollybearFluffpuss]

We decided on having two rescue kittens and saw Rose and Ivor on the RSPCA website. They had a very rocky start to life after being abandoned and lost several brothers and sisters along the way. Their foster mum cared for them and brought them back to health with numerous vet trips and round the clock care. We had a home visit and then went to see them at the adoption centre to check that they were ok around my children (which they were).

A year on and Rose is very gentle affectionate and Ivor is a vocal diva and makes sure he gets what he wants! -They are adorable, It was definately meant to be!