As for pet stories... hmm...
We had hamsters and/or gerbils for a while when we lived in Seattle. They would all eventually chew through their plastic milk carton "cage", and end up hiding somewhere in the basement. And then they would die.
Then there was "Princess" the poodle. A very troubled dog. Barked at basically one. And had a tendency to dig under the backyard fence and run off. And bite one or two of the neighborhood children.

Needless to say, she eventually went back to the pound where my mother found her.
I also now seem to recall another dog. Something brown.

And, of course, the requisite tank of fish. I liked the fish.