I don't have any pets apart from Dottie.
[QUOTE=Chanak]1. Tarantula. Excellent conversation piece.

[/quote]
This made me think of a cute anecdote involving a Tarantula. My friend was sitting beside a 10-11 year old girl at the metro. In her lap, she had this kind of box with airholes that you get from zoo shops when buying a pet. The box was pink with red hearts on, and you couldn't see what was within.
Opposite to her, a boy perhaps 1-2 years her senior was seated. He immediately took interest in the girl and her box.
"Oh, what do you have there in the box?"
"A spider"
"A spider? You're just kidding?"
"No, I'm not kidding, it's a tarantula."
"Aw, come on know, tell me what it is."
"It's a spider, a big spider."
"Don't be silly. What is it? A rabbit?"
"No, it's a spider, I already told you."
"Ahhh, you don't need to be ashamed. Is it a rabbit? A guinea pig? Please, show me?"
Slightly tired, the girl carefully lifted the lid to expose some long, hairy spider legs. The boy, who had been leaning towards the girl, turned totally white, threw himself backwards in the seat and looked like he was going to puke. He didn't say a word for the rest of the journey.
