Talk:Palace Pets/@comment-5109093-20140311034740

Boy, quite a few pets were added since I last checked the list. But I've had many thoughts in the meantime! (Meadow reminds me of a cross between Fifi LaFume & Flower from Bambi, and Daisy of a new-school Littlest Pet Shop toy crossed with Lemon Meringue's dog Henna from Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures.)

Can’t wait to see Merida’s!!! She definitely ought to have a Scottish Deerhound; her father’s already got at least the two for hunting…these dogs were proud “possessions” of royalty, and it would be expected for a king to breed his fine animals. Sadly I don’t think the dogs were named, so I don’t know what sexes they are…but regardless, Fergus could breed them, and give Merida a pup of her very own. She seems as though she’d be a big-dog kind of gal, and they’re swift, athletic sighthounds. Alternatively, again, she could pop on over to Ireland and get an Irish Water Spaniel. That breed is also perfect for her temperament-wise, AND they could enter dog-owner lookalike contests!! So those are my two top picks for her, although if they’re having everyone with at least one horse and one non-horse…well, I guess Angus could have another equine companion. ^^ A cat or rabbit or whatever else would be awesome for her, too. Cats & dogs can very easily get along. Other dog breeds that are partly or fully Scottish are the Skye Terrier, Border Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Scottish Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Collie, Border Collie, Bearded Collie, Shetland Sheepdog, Bloodhound, Gordon Setter, and Golden Retriever. Oh, and Scottish Fold cats? Bloody adorable. Names should, of course, be derived from Scottish/Irish/Gaelic. I have my own ideas about them, and some other ideal canines for certain princesses.

I'd rather they not consider a bear for her, obvious as it might seem; even tigers and pandas as “pets” or companion animals stretch believability a bit, but a black bear?! Yikes. She could perhaps raise a cub, but then would have to return it to the wild if they wanted to maintain any mild semblance of realism or safety/appropriateness.

And ooh, I do hope that Anna and Elsa will get some shortly. Perhaps they'll go with some sort of northern-climate-ish critter...a Norwegian Elkhound? (Or a Dunker, Buhund, Lundehund, Halden hound, Hygenhund...there are dogs for literally everyone. ;P) But then again, they can have whatever kind of dogs/pets they darned well please...and the more reason to give 'em an awesome sweater/coat and such, the better!! Haha, someone said 'Snowy,' like Tin-Tin’s terrier. Perhaps something a bit more creative, such as Flurry, Winter, Crystal, Blizzard, Icicle, Snowcap, etc., or just Scandinavian names.

To me, dogs are the most fun species to work with because there are so many different kinds, and all are pets. I mean, based upon country/region of origin, Tiana could have a Catahoula Leopard Dog or a coonhound or something. Mulan could have a Pug, Chow Chow, Shar Pei, Pekingese, Shih Tzu, or Chinese Crested. (It’s hard to tell what the extremely cartoonish mutt Little Brother was supposed to be.) There’s quite a number of native French breeds, including various very rare scenthounds…and far fewer Danish ones. (Nope, the Great Dane isn’t one!) Ariel could have a water-oriented breed, too, though—a retriever or spaniel, perhaps. And, of course, I’d explode if I saw them give a Saluki (my favorite breed!) or other Arabian sighthound (my favorite breed grouping!) or something to Jasmine or someone else. (Not all breeds would’ve necessarily been developed by the time period in which each girl’s story is supposed to be based, but they don’t need to worry that technically about it. I mean, they really kind of exist someplace out of time, since you want to be able to imagine them all being together…)

Soooooo we gots Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and Tiana with a horse and either a dog, cat, or rabbit; Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan with a single unconventional animal (tiger, raccoon, panda); and Rapunzel with a quartet already (dog, cat, horse, and unusual animal--skunk.) The three most recent princesses (Merida, Elsa, & Anna--coincidentally my three favorites aside from Ariel) still need to be added. I hope every girl ends up with four--dog, cat, horse, and something else.

I also wish at least one of Punz's animals resembled her brunette hair...but I guess fans are putting more thought into this than the developers, who're gearing it toward little girls, who may only recognize the traditional Rapunzel hair.

It is a really cute idea for the ladies to gain some new pals who’re actually pets--or at least, wild animals who willingly become domesticated. And these guys can all speak; of course, some of the animals from the movies do, but most don't. Any of the girls could have male or female pets, but introducing more males to the group would be a good idea in order to balance it somewhat, and be more realistic. (Still, it's nice that they're trying to add more female characters.)

Think Pumpkin’s still my favorite so far, followed by Treasure, Daisy, Seashell, Teacup, Windflower, Meadow, Summer, etc. The princess' original animal sidekicks/friends will always be highly marketable, but as an animal nut, I can't very honestly turn down additional animal characters...and the panda for Mulan is unsurprising; what other species is so symbolic of China? Heh, I don’t know that I’m shipping any of the pets quite yet, although Maximus/Blondie could work depending upon their ages...and Windflower/Meeko would probably be pretty cute. Possibly Tod/Vixey-esque. xD

Nothing wrong with Ariel having a cat, although it seems slightly ironic…not *all* cats dislike water. (Case in point: The Turkish Van breed is famous for loving it.) And then, not all dogs are swimmers, either. I do agree, though, that it would be great for Ariel to have a dog as well. (And I’d be REAL happy, since she and Merida are my favorites, and dogs are my favorite animals, followed by fishes.) AHA. Ariel could have an aquarium—but then, would THAT seem kinda wrong, since it’s probably better for her to just talk to her fishy friends in the sea. Keeping some in a tank might feel like imprisonment to her, but then again, some might tell her that they’d LIKE living on land with her that way. Hmm. Anyhow, it’s funny how cats generally love seafood but dislike water. xD I’m catlike in ways, but that is NOT one! Oh, well. Ariel and her aquatic friends will simply have to understand the carnivorous ways of the feline, just as they had to coexist with sharks and all other marine predators.