My family has always been a group of animal lovers. We never hit the point of raising a pet farm due to too many furry friends, but we've had our fair share of four legged creatures and then some. This is why I thought it was time to clear the air when it comes to some pets. It's true that dogs, cats, and fish are a fan favorite. Can you blame anyone? Dogs with their crazy cuteness, cats with their lazy love, and fish with their unknowing indifference to the world. Ah yes, it just pulls the heartstrings. However, I believe there should be a few honorable mentions.

Way back when I was just a little tike, my family had birds as pets. There were three in total: Daisy, Taco, and Baby. My brother an I were A-class name pickers, what can I say? Now, birds aren't exactly the most uncommon pet, but I feel they're a little underrated. Some birds can be annoying and sometimes you can't do much with them for the fear of them taking flight out of your life, but if you love them I'm sure they will at one point recuperate your feelings. I mean, Taco only bit me twice! If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Years after our three birds, my parents decided it was time for another pet. In comes Razzmatazz, a white furred, red eyed, tiny little ferret. Yes, a ferret. He had long claws and whiskers, and smelled a little ripe, but he was an adorable little guy. He was clever, adventurous, and noisy. At times he would unlock his house (how, I will never know), and scamper around the house until we found him. This I would not recommend. I learned very quickly that ferrets fit it very tight places, enjoy those places, and can be forever lost. I also learned they love hoping through leaf piles and cuddling in any given warmth. Later it became clear that little Razz needed a friend. A couple months after our albino ferret, Junior, a brown raccoon looking critter, became his adoptive brother. Junior different in almost every way. He was fat, lazy, a bit slow, and easily angered. He hated baths and hogged the triangle hammock meant for two. Still, he was loved by all, and he became the best of friends with Razzmatazz.

When Razz and Junior passed away, our house became animal free for a year or two. But it didn't take long before we adopted an endearing shih tzu and named her Bella. It was during Bella's early years that we also adopted another pet. This darling pet was a rat.

His name was Junior, named in memory of Junior the ferret due to their similar brown coloring. If I thought ferrets were slippery, I would say a rat is a bit more so. Junior would be in certain area one second and the next be wandering through the unknown domain that occupied the space under my bed. He loved crawling into the holes of t-shirts and the view of the world on a human's shoulder. Alas, he did have a habit of attempting to mark his territory as much as possible, which was horrendous especially with a dog in the house, but it was difficult to get the waddling fur ball to listen to anything I said. I acknowledge that rats are a little up there on the rare-and-unwelcome-pet scale for a couple people due to stereotyping and hairless tails, but as an owner of one I recommend not crossing them off the list just yet. They love cuddling and playing as much as the next guy.

Nowadays our house is filled with brown, white, and gray dog fur thanks to the two walking mops known as Bella and Tony. I miss the three birds of my toddler years, the two ferrets from my childhood, and the lone rat who enjoyed sleeping almost as much as I do. I would never say not to adopt a dog or a cat, but the next time you see a lonesome little fuzzball, don't deny them immdeiately. These little creatures might surprise you when it comes to the size of their wonder and the size of their hearts.