Pet Policies (Sean)

Sean was largely removed from animals. In fact, if he was to keep a list of ways that he would choose to surprise another person, pets would fall near the bottom of the list, somewhere between proselytizing literature and dedicated karaoke songs. Then again, the telepath readily acknowledged that he wasn’t a good example of a cross-section of humanity, and that his powers played more than a small role in that.

Once they had finished calisthenics for the night, Sean had settled in with a glass of water and his most recent journal. He had an entry to make before bed, or before he and Josh were to get distracted by anything else. That was the purpose of maintaining a routine, one that became more complex now that he had not only a partner, but also Bailey living in their home.

At the question, he lifted his head to look over at the younger man. “And which policy would that be?”

There were many. Policies about roommates. Policies about visitors. Policies about disciplinary procedures. Policies about grade advancement. Policies about training. Policies about disability accommodations. Policies about extracurricular activities. Policies that, despite Sean’s long experience with the school and his administrative position, were completely out of his hands.

He still considered himself a repository of knowledge.

The pet policy was one of the less important policies, as far as Sean was concerned. He was intimately familiar with it, of course, as he had had to cite it to parents and students alike over the years. It was also quite simple to remember, as it was straightforward with few exceptions.

The telepath was hardly surprised to hear that his partner wanted to find a pet for Tomer. Josh had coped with loneliness by buying a pet rabbit, a decade and a half ago. This was a form of relationship that Sean couldn’t understand on a personal level, but he also knew that his discomfort with animals put him in a small minority of people.

Setting down his journal, the telepath said, “He won’t need anything trained for people with disabilities, because only very small pets are allowed, because they have to fit into tanks, terrariums, and cages. Fish, hamsters, gerbils, mice and other small rodents, and then small reptiles like small turtles and snakes, primarily.”

Tarantulas, technically, but Sean wouldn’t suggest that. A pet tarantula was inviting trouble.

They didn’t even allow for birds, given that they needed to come out of their cages sometimes and they could fly away.

“Helper animals aren’t classified as pets; they’re classified as disability accommodations.” Hammel was compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, moreso than many other government-funded buildings, because Hammel had a wider understanding of “need” and “disability” than did the greater non-powered population. However, that was neither here nor there because, while Tomer did have a disability due to his side effects, he didn’t require an animal assistant.

And, if Tomer did need a helper animal, he would be included in the discussion. Additionally, Josh would not go through typical pet adoption channels for a guidance dog or for another type of animal assistant.

Unfortunately for everyone in this conversation, Sean was not the best choice for discussing pet options. “What about a turtle?” He inquired, since those were easy to care for, they were durable in the absence of predators (which were mostly lacking in the enclosed Hammel environment), and they had long life-spans. “It couldn’t go very fast, so he wouldn’t have to worry if it was let out of its cage.”

If that wasn’t acceptable, there were always stuffed animals for hugging and complex digital programs for the simulation of caring for a pet. That was all that Sean could offer by way of suggestions.

Soft animals would rule out turtles. Although, Sean had it on some authority that certain turtles would cuddle with their owners or sit on their laps. Since this had no bearing on the telepath one way or the other, he had no reason to continue to pitch reasons that a turtle would make a good pet for Tomer.

Instead, he focused on the question about rabbits. Fortunately, his partner had already included the caveat that Sean needed to include regarding the pet policy. “We’ve had rabbits before, but they have to fit in a small or medium-sized cage. Not the bigger hutch that we have for Mopsy.”

Which meant that it would have to be a very small breed. However, this was a potential avenue for exploration. They had the same policy with fish – that they had to fit in small tanks and couldn’t be contained in any of the more elaborate aquariums that existed on the pet market.

“Then he’d just have to keep an eye on a rabbit if he let it out. They move fast, and they like to chew things that they shouldn’t.” Not that Josh required such reminders about rabbits, given that they were the only pets that his partner had ever owned.