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16 c economist sun stouffville tribune etcetera thursday april 19 2001 great and small photos clockwise from left felicia szuros with 8yearold chinchilla whiskers a meyers par rot named cleo 10 months old at arlington pet shoppe kate trollope of arlington pet shoppe holds a leopard gecko by amy west staff writer how much is that doggy in the window the one with the waggly tail how much is that doggy in the window i do hope that doggys for sale the words of this popular childrens tune echo the sentiments of many peo ple who are searching for a new addition to the family but not everyone wants a tradi tional furry fourlegged pet for thoselooking for something more exotic breeders and pet stores offer everything from lizards to parrots with a few interesting tilings in between the relationship between a pet and its owner should be special but it can go terribly wrong if the two are mismatched- unfortunately many exotic pets are chosen on impulse buying an exotic pet is not something that should be taken lightly according to kate trollope coowner of arlington pet shoppe people should make sure they do their research before selecting their new pet we talk to people and try to match them with animals based on their needs and expectations said trollope we then encourage them to buy a book about their new pet at the same time tiiey purchase the animal trollope also recommends hav ing all the necessary equipment and supplies ready for the new pets homecoming to make the transition as easy as possible people become interested in exotic and unusual pets for many reasons for some such as felicia szuros and her husband it was a matter of health my husband is allergic to everything said szuros but we wanted a pet enter whiskers with the tail of a squirrel ears of a mouse and body of a rabbit whiskers the chinchilla was the hypoallergenic answer to the szuros prayers chinchillas which are well known for their soft fur cost about 100 newton is perfect because he doesnt care if i come home late but is great company when i am home they have traditionally been raised for their pelts but according to szuros they make better pets than coats a member of the guinea pig family this quiet little creature does what any dog would normal ly do she comes for treats she sits on our laps and she loves to play said szuros chinchillas are also very territo rial and will bite at strangers but szuros considers wliiskcrs the per fect pet i would definitely get another she said other people choose exotic pets because they see one on tv or in a pet store and its love at first sight jason shoreman saw his sala mander during a trip to the local pet store and just had to have one people think im strange when i tell them i have a pet salaman der said shoreman they dont understand the attraction the attraction said shoreman is the fact the small amphibian requires very little daytoday care he doesnt need to be walked and he doesnt shed i work all day and go to school two evenings a week newton is perfect because he doesnt care if i come home late but is great company when i am home he has ihe run of the apart ment when im there and likes to sit with me while i have my dinner he doesnt bring me my slip pers but he also doesnt wake me up at 5 am shoreman said the term exotic pet covers a wide variety of species there are mammals small caged pet or larg er reptiles lizards snakes and turtles amphibians frogs and salamanders birds fish or insects regardless ofwhich pet you choose there are a few things you need to consider the most important thing to research before buying any exotic pet is the legality of keeping that pet many municipalities have bylaws regarding which types of animals can be kept as pets in newmarket and richmond hill keeping anything other than a dog or a cat is a violation of zoning bylaws the bylaw which states people sec make page 17 6 months iji visit our showroom antiques refinished beyond compare 158 main street uniorsrvtile 905 4749677 spring sale this 9 piece hcpplcwhitc dining suite includes buffet china cabinet side board 4 side chairs 2 arm chairs was 899500 sale price 7995 vli