1. Do you have a pet now? Have you ever had a pet? Tell me about them.
2. If you don’t have pets, can you explain why?
3. Tell me about the first pet you ever had.
4. Describe one of your pets to me:
(a) When did you get it?
(b) What was its name? Who named it? How did you choose its name?
(c) Who trained it? What was it trained to do?
(d) Where did it sleep?
(e) Did you take it outside? If so, to do what? What did you put on it before going outside?
(f) What did you feed your pet?
5. What kinds of pet foods are available?
6. Is it cultural in your country for people to own pets? What kinds of pets are most common? (birds, fish, cats, dogs, rabbits)
7. If someone wanted a pet in your country, how would they go about getting it?
8. What are the animals that are okay to keep as pets?
9. Which are the best animals to keep as pets? Why?
10. What are animals that you don’t think are okay to keep as pets, but some people keep them anyways?
11. Which animals are illegal to keep as pets? Why are they illegal?
12. Are there any pets you think are dangerous? What are they, and why?
13. Are there many stray animals in your country? What animals tend to be stray? Is it okay to take them in as pets?
14. What kinds of shots are required for pets?
15. Do pets have rights in your country? What kinds of rights?
16. How do people in your country treat their pets? Do sometimes people treat their pets better than their own children or neighbors?
17. Is there special pet food, toys, houses, clothes, schools, and doggie daycares, pet spas, boarding rooms, hospitals / veterinarians? Which of them do you use?
18. Are there humane societies or special interest groups in your country who defend animal rights?
19. Which kinds of animals are specially trained to help humans? What kind of help do they do? (help the disabled, shepherding, guarding, spying, hunting, border control, natural disasters, etc.)
20. Tell me a story about something amazing an animal did.
21. Tell me a funny story about a pet.
22. Do you know anyone who has a pet you don’t like? Why don’t you like the pet?
23. What kinds of pets do you like or dislike more than others?
24. If you had to describe the character traits of a pet dog, how would you describe them?
25. If you had to describe the character traits of a pet cat, how would you describe them?
26. If you had to describe the character traits of a pet hamster, how would you describe them?
27. If you had to describe the character traits of a pet snake, how would you describe them?
28. If you had to describe the character traits of a pet rabbit, how would you describe them?
29. If you had to describe the character traits of a pet bird, how would you describe them?
30. If you had to describe the character traits of a pet falcon or hawk, how would you describe them?
31. Would you consider a service dog (like for the disabled or for the police) to be a pet? Why or why not?
32. What happens when pets get old? Do they tend to be dumped, sent away, cared for, put down…?
33. Tell me a saying or idiom about pets or animals. (i.e. “Dog is man’s best friend”)
34. What are the health benefits of having a pet?
35. What are the pros and cons of having a pet?
36. What’s the worst part about having a pet?
37. What assumptions do you make about the character of someone who treats animals well? What about if they mistreat animals?
38. Do you think there is a connection between how we treat animals and how we treat people?
39. In the family, who tends to care for pets?
40. Are there certain breeds of animals that cost a lot more? Why are they considered more valuable? How much can they cost?
41. What’s the maximum you would pay for a pet?
42. Who tends to watch pets when families travel?
43. Is there any pet you’re afraid of? What first made you fear them?
44. Have you ever been bitten / scratched / stung by a pet?
45. What kinds of pets do you think are cute?
46. What kinds of pets do you think are ugly?
47. Do you think that you will see your pets again in the afterlife? (Do pets have souls?)
48. What are some lessons you’ve learned from your pets?
49. What are some lessons you’ve learned from keeping pets?
50. What’s the most damage a pet has caused you?
51. How much does it cost to keep a pet?