....That are used as pets, of course. Anyway, to the list!

Covered In This Thread Are:

+---Runnerbeasts
+---Canines
+---Firelizards
+---Avians
+---Fish
+---Tunnelcats


Runnerbeasts

Terran horses, runnerbeasts are common all across Pern. They have various uses and come in every breed imaginable, but under different names than the Terran breeds. Their colors are as varies as their uses, as are their temperaments. Though agression is not something specifically bred into a beast, it sometimes shows in the less domesticated runners, such as those bred on the plains of Ogen.

Runners are common pets for beastcrafters, traders, and wealthy Holders. They are seen as status symbols. If the runner is well bred, it was expensive and therefore its owner has plenty of marks to spend. If it is of poor breeding, such as a cart beast, the owner is not nearly as wealthy, and the runner most likely has multiple purposes. Beastcrafters often own one runner for their time spent in the beastcraft, and this number can be bigger depending on the breeding of the runner, and the rank of the crafter.


Canines

Canines on Pern are not like Terran breeds. The dogs that have survived on Pern are the hardy working, hunting, and big class dogs. There are no specific breeds on Pern, but traits of huskies, greyhounds, great danes, and German shepherds do exist. There are no wolves on Pern. Wolves were not a species that the original colonists decided to breed on Pern, therefore they don't exist. Other species of dog, such as collies, Doberman, Australian shepherds, and blood hounds can be seen as mixes. There are no pure breeds on Pern, only types of dogs (i.e. hunting, retrieving, herding, etc.).

Canines are probably the most common pet on Pern. Most Holders, no matter how small, have at least one hunting dog. Lords can have as many as three seperate packs of dogs with three different purposes. Traders always have dogs to guard their caravans, and Hold guards use them on duty to warn them of intruders they can't see. Many times, Candidates bring a favorite hound with them to the Weyrs in case they don't Impress before they age out.

Firelizards
a.k.a. Flitts

Firelizards are natural to Pern and seem to breed like Terran rabbits. But their clutches are well hidden and it is very rare to find one while wandering the beaches. They come in all the colors as dragons, since it was the firelizards the dragons were designed from. Queens are very protective of their clutches and rarely will leave them alone for long periods. Greens are much free-er while guarding their clutches. In fact, they rarely do, and many eggs die because of this. For more information of flitts and their Flights, veiw the Mating Flight Rules thread.

Firelizards are fairly common in the South, but they are still rare pets. It is very rare that a substantial clutch is found, and the price for their eggs is high. Very rarely will a plain holder be seen with one unless they served their Lord well and was rewarded or found the next as it was Hatching. Flitt eggs are a very good way to make a few marks, as they are always in demand.

Avians
a.k.a. Birds

The only Terran birds that survived the assimilation to Pernese landscape were fisher hawks, red-tailed hawks, osprey, and a couple types of falcons. The Perrigrine falcon did not survive to adapt. Hawks are rarely made into pets, simply because their nests are jealously guarded against wherries and the various snakes that inhabit Pern naturally.

Only very wealthy Holders and Lords are able to afford keeping hawks or falcons for hunting. If a poorer holder is lucky, they might stray across an unguarded nest and be able to take a couple of the eggs to raise, but this is very, very rare. Hawks and falcons are sometimes bred for show, and these are the most expensive. They sit as trophies in an eiry, to prove that the Holder has marks to spare on such frivolous expenses. A common holder can save for turns and still not be able to afford even a hunting hawk. But a few do have them, being lucky enough to be gifted with the eggs, or to earn enough marks to purchase a grown one.

Fish

Tropical fish native to Pern are fairly common as pets in the Holds close to the sea. They are cheap to get, cheap to care for, and make very pretty center-peices of conversation or a table. They come in all shapes and sizes and colors as Terran fish do, but have the six limbed anatomy that is common among native Pernese wildlife.

Tunnelcats

Tunnelcats are the Pernese version of a Terran ferret. After ages of living with humans and in the wild, they have changed little from the original colonists' breeding. They are spry little beasts that are trained to hunt tunnelsnakes and rats, and keep general vermin out of grain reserves and storage rooms and such.

A common holder would not be out of place to own a tunnelcat. In fact, a lot of them do. Often, they are employed by a wealthy Holder to ferret out mice and rats from the Hold proper (pun totally intended). Some holders keep the little guys simply as pets, and are rewarded with a calm temperament and a habit of mischief.

On Felines...

Very few felines are domestic on Pern, namely the tabby cat. They are very rare, and are usually only seen in Holds, where rat problems could be very hurtful to the population. This is the only type of domesticated cat on Pern. All other species are feril thanks to a certain Tubberman in the beginning of Pern's history. If you want a character to have a cat, you MUST PM and Admin for permission with a decent reason. Cats are rare at best as pets. And yes, I realize this contradicts the information given in the Pern 101 thread. However, for the sake of my sanity, it is going to be said that felines of any sort do not exist in Arapas. Given the history and lack of communication with the other Continents, none of Tubberman's felines or the tabby variety made it over to the West. So. No cats period.