A pet is an animal kept as company for a person or family. It is not expected to earn its living like working animals and sport animals. Pets have been bred from wild animals over thousands of years to be pretty to look at and to have loyal or playful personalities.

Different pets are kept for different purposes. Dogs are kept for company and to help people get enough exercise. They also help people meet other people as dog walkers often talk to each other or arrange to meet to walk their dogs at the same time.

Elderly people, or those who live alone, may value a pet as a companion.

The most popular pets are dogs and cats, but for those who do not want the long-term responsibility of a dog or cat, there are many alternatives, such as house rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas, rats, and guinea pigs. Keeping birds as pets is also common, although less so than it used to be. Canaries, parakeets, budgerigars and parrots are all kept in cages. Many people keep fish in tanks. Some even keep snakes and spiders.

Keeping any kind of pet is a responsibility. The pet must be cared for in the long term. It must never be left alone for long periods, it must be fed, watered and exercised, and for animals such as dogs and cats, it must be loved. When you buy a pet you sign up to its wellbeing for its entire life. It is not just something you can get fed up with. So don't have a pet if you don't think you can cope. It may mean changing what you do, such as the type of holiday you take. It is not something to take on lightly, but for many people it makes all the difference in the world.