What is best?

Last week’s column extolled the virtues of my officemate Hermann’s tortoise. Over the weekend, a curious reader asked just how many different types of animals I’ve actually lived with — and, which is “The Best”?

As to types: Lots. If this was an Academy Awards acceptance speech I’d be worried about offending the species I accidentally forget to name but I’ll just leap in since it’s unlikely I’ll ever stroll the red carpet.

Let’s start with the obvious. People who do what I do for a living take our work home with us, and I’ve lived with a frankly crazy number of animals, both in terms of variety and sheer quantity. Of course that list includes dogs and cats (many of both), guinea pigs, cockatiels, love birds, parakeets. I’m light on the farmed animals since I’ve never had property (although with luck I would love to make up for that at some time) so it’s just turkens (supposedly turkey-chicken-hybrids, but actually chickens with naked necks) and one pig (who hated me) named Hamlet (aka Son of Spam).

I’ve lived with several larger parrots (long-term guests rescued from smugglers). Anti-smuggling operations have also left me responsible for a wide array of very uncommon reptiles. Here’s a few you can look up: Solomon Island skinks, carpet pythons, ridge-tailed monitor lizards, radiated tortoises, to name just a few.

My wife and I are home-care volunteers for PHS/SPCA’s wildlife rehab program, so we have a special structure in our yard (and the permits it requires) where we’ve housed squirrels, several types of songbirds, and last Summer had the amazing experience of raising baby Screech Owls who continued to visit us for several weeks after we set them free.

What is the best kind of animal? The answer: “e. All of the above.” But as for what’s best for sharing one’s home, stick with dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits and those other few we all know as pets.

Ken White is the president of the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA.