Essay Number 2- Advice Column and Goals

What is the right pet for my kid?

This week is all about parenting tips and since I write an advice column I thought I would share some pieces of knowledge that I have picked up, that might be a help to the struggling parent. As we have discussed earlier in the week, I read the most wonderful children’s book to my daughter. It is called Guess How Much I Love You and is written by the talented Sam McBratney. It is a heartwarming tale of a parent rabbit and their child. The charming story is a battle of just how much the two love each other, each comparison bigger than the last. It is the perfect book to read as a nighttime story and will most definitely leave you and your child with a warm and fuzzy feeling. As I walked out of the room after kissing my daughter good night I couldn’t help but think that a rabbit would make the perfect pet for her. After my column on Monday I had a flood of letters with questions as to what the perfect pet is for their child. Here are two letters I have received from confused and frustrated parents. I am so very happy to be able to share my research and discoveries with those of you who are struggling as these two are.

Dear Ashley:

I am at the end of my rope with my young son and his need for a pet. His name is Joshua, he is seven years old, and has killed one too many fish for my taste. He is always bugging me for a pet so one day I took him to the pet store. This was of course a bad idea because every animal or reptile he saw he swore he just had to have. I wanted a low maintenance pet that could be enjoyable and yet easy for a seven year old to maintain. So we went to the fish tanks and he picked out four fish to become part of our family. After spending a fortune on a tank, colored rocks, plants, and supplies we left and set up the fist tank that night. These fish were living in style, but not for long.

After a few days Joshua had begun to lose interest and I sat down with him and asked him why. He looked at me and said, “Fish are boring. They just swim around and around and don’t do anything cool. You can’t even hold them.” As a parent I guess I should have seen this conversation coming, but what happened the next day I was not prepared for. I came downstairs the next morning to make breakfast and there was Joshua holding one of his fish and trying to catch the others. I asked him what he was doing and his answer was, “playing with my pet.” I knew then and there that fish were not going to work out. I began looking into a dog and just as fast as I had the idea I abandoned it. A dog is too much work for a child the age of Joshua and I know that I would find myself walking it between two and three times a day. Ashley, how do I buy a pet that can teach him responsibility, one he can play with without killing, and one that doesn’t require me to do all the work?

–Frustrated Mom in Harrisburg–

Dear Ashley:

Hello Ashley I must say that I loved your column on Monday, but it got me thinking about getting a pet for my daughter. She is ten and has been begging me for a few weeks now to get a dog or cat. I have never had a pet as a child or an adult and I am hesitant about getting in over my head and rather quickly. I love animals and so does my daughter but living in a townhouse I am concerned that having a dog or cat always running around will be a hassle not to mention all the work that goes with them. Besides these facts I don’t even know where to start when it comes to a pet. I just don’t want to go through all the trouble of buying a cage, food, finding the space, and learning how to take care of it. I know that my daughter would love a pet and would enjoy playing with one, but how do I choose the right one?

After reading the book that you recommended to my daughter I too thought about getting a rabbit as a pet. In fact ever since we have read the book she has been asking for a rabbit. My problem is that I do not know where to start. How do I know which breed to pick and what food is good to give him/her? What is the basic information that I need to know to buy and take care of a rabbit?

–Confused Mom in Seattle—

Dear Confused and Frustrated Moms:

I have certainly been doing my research over the past few days. I have found many interesting reasons why rabbits make the perfect pet. I have read Zach and Amy Phillips-Gary’s top five reasons to own a rabbit. Number one: Rabbits do not bark, hiss or squawk which makes them nice and quiet pets that work well in any household. Number two: Rabbits are very affectionate and personable and will love you just as much as a dog or a cat. Number three: Rabbits are Earth friendly pets and get along with their surroundings and adapt rather well. Number four: They are compatible with other animals you may already have or might buy. Number five: They are just plain fun (Phillips-Gary pars.1-5). What I love about rabbits is that they are large enough to hold and play with, yet in most cases are kept in a cage a majority of the time.

I have found answers to most of your questions and I will start with how to pick a breed of rabbit. Breeds of rabbits are broken down into four categories. First we have the compact body type group which includes common household rabbits such as Dwarf and Dutch. Next, is the commercial body type and then the full arch body type. The last category is the semi-arch body type which includes the famous English Lop-eared. As a child I had a Dwarf rabbit because they get to be about a foot and a half long when they are all stretched out and are easy to maintain. Breeds such as the English Lop-eared get to be larger and less active rabbits with big floppy ears. I would definitely recommend either one of these breeds (Nicholson pars.1-12).

After you choose a breed of rabbit it is time to get all the necessary supplies. If you plan on having your new pet live outside then you will want to look into getting an outdoor hutch or cage. Along with that be sure that you do not put your rabbit in direct sunlight as they dehydrate quickly. If you are like most people who own rabbits and plan on keeping it indoors then picking up a simple cage at one of your pet stores will be fine. Other things you will need are a food dish, water bottle, a few toys, and of course food. As far as food goes you can buy whatever you would like in the beginning. If you start your rabbit out eating the food with only pellets they will enjoy that for their entire life however you might want to consider buying the bunny starter food. This is specially made food that is easier for them to chew and has all of the vitamins and minerals that are needed to get them off to a healthy start. After about three months you can start mixing in regular food. My childhood rabbit would eat just about any kind of fruit or vegetable that we would give her so do not be afraid to give them apple slices, dried fruit, lettuce, carrots, and even radishes. As far as where they go to the bathroom there are a few ways you can control the smell and unpleasantness. You should cover the bottom of the cage in either newspaper or bedding. Then if you have trained your rabbit to just use one corner of the cage then you can buy an aluminum foil cake pan and line that with bedding as well or even paper towels. I would recommend changing your rabbit every other day or at least twice a week.

Having a pet around the house is great for several reasons and does not have to be much trouble at all. Rabbits make the perfect pet for many households no matter how big or small. They are easy to maintain, help teach your child responsibility, are loveable and great to play with, and will keep you smiling for many days to come. I hope that these tips I have given you and the research I have done has been a help and as always thanks for writing.

Goals

My goals for this paper are to incorporate all of the requirements. I wanted to pick a genre that would be a challenge for me to write in. I also wanted to choose one that not many people write in. I chose to write in an advice column because I like that writing style and the format. I know that my audience will be parents with children primarily. It is possible that the audience could expand to young couples and adults looking for a pet. I wanted this to be a play off of Dear Abby which is why I made it Dear Ashley. It is also somewhat persuasive because I am highly recommending rabbits as pets

After

I did struggle with this paper quite a bit. I know that it is not my best work or a great piece of writing, but I tried. I really stretched myself in my abilities and by leaving my comfort zone. I did like the advice column idea because it was more unique than others. I do believe that I reached my intended audience and gave them good advice. It was nice because I do own a rabbit so I was able to add in my own personal advice as an advice columnist would. I also liked my play off of Dear Abby with Dear Ashley and I think I followed the idea and format well. Overall it was not my easiest paper to write and I struggled quite a bit in the beginning, but it came out just alright.