What do you do...

[Ryai]

When you lose interest in a pet? I mean that family, that skin, that model, etc? Do you just abandon it? Do you stable it for a time? Do you temporarily release it, to retame later?

I'll start it off with my own toon; Rosalyn, the strangely named Orc hunter who has run around Dal topless. But don't blame her, it's either the booze in her keg talking or the fact she has had to share a chest and shoulder piece with a couple other toons.

Rosalyn had dreams, big dreams originally. She was the third hunter I made, and was going to be the second I was going to have reach lv 70 at the time. As Amarai, the second one I made was more like a alch alt and she was BM to boot and Ryai was already BM...

Nonono, Rosalyn was destined to be MM!

But I learned that as MM you needed aggro happy pets, thus I got a boar. And I fell in love with him, a black boar from rfk, so ofc armored.

Then growl broke.

And boars broke.

Thus sadly, Rosalyn had to part ways with her ghost saber, who I didn't really love completely and that little armored boar.

Along the way to 75 she's picked up, and repicked up countless pets. From owls to boars to raptors to devilsaurs, carion birds and once a sithilid. But still nothing seems right, outside of Luna, a bear she found mourning the loss of its cub and Arkaidos, wandering forlornly by a river in Grizzly Hills.

Atm I'm just killing time going through the motions and retaming creatures, once again, trying to find another 'the one' pet to have. For a time, atleast.

So yeah what do you guys do about pets?

[Saturo]

If I had a special bond with it, I'll stable it. Otherwise it's more of an instant abandon.

Please don't eat me.

[zedxrgal]

I'm in that exact contemplation right now with my level 65 hunter. She currently has all ferocity pets. Two cats (Humar and Bangalash), two dogs (Snort and Mist Howler). I completely love the dogs and am disliking my cats less and less for some reason. But I really don't want to abandon them. At least not Humar since he was not easy to get and I got him by sheer luck. Bangalash is always there and would be a cinch so there would be no love lost if I let him go.

In the past I've had wolves, other hyenas, bears, spiders, raptors, crocklisks, birds, and I believe that's it. All were just abandoned like it was nothing. For me it's just how much I truly enjoy my play time with them all the way around and their cuteness that means the level of attachment and of course the work and time in trying to get them. The 'normals' don't have the same spice or even the attachment.

Just find what pet really makes you smile most and for the longest. Then get that.

[Azzrazzah]

Yah...Sigh..
It's sad we are limited on stable slots.. As different pets became the ingame hotties, for what ever new patch comes along.. I've abandoned so many; I'm surprised the rest of the beast kingdom even lets me near them... The one shining light is we can retame most of what we let go, and can only hope for those we missed out on (grimtotem spirit/worgan) to come around again for taming.. And now with the "Elite" tag gone; pets are pets and can be shuffled out when no longer a fit to a raid or fun run.. I am sadened, I remember the thrills of the hard tames and the rare beasts.. Damn you Blizz, give us back our elite tames; let us have our boasting as we run around and show off our silver glories for all to see!!

[Vephriel]

I can relate to you on the Boar most definitely.

When Veph hit 26 back in the day, I went out and tamed the black armored one myself. He was called Frankenswine, and I had that piggy all the way up to 60. He was an unstoppable tank, especially before the pets were re-worked and boars were just amazing with their charge, gore, and growl. I could start pulling mobs and then send him in, and he'd snatch that aggro right away.

Sadly when I reached Outland and found all the shiny new creatures, I had to let him go in favor of others. I still regret doing that to this day, so in Cataclysm I will hopefully be retaming him with our new stable slots.

As for losing the bond with pets, that's definitely happened to all of us I'm sure. Don't force yourself to keep a pet out of guilt or obligation, if you truly think you'd like a different one better then go for it. I know it's a hard decision to make, but sometimes just going up to click 'Abandon' will tell you if you're really still attached to them or not. I've had occasions where I go to do that and then realize I can't go through with it, also other times where I can let them go without pause and know I made the right choice.

Good luck!

[Rhyela]

For me it very much depends on the pet, and how much time I spent with it. Even though I almost never use Tetsusaiga anymore, just the fact that he was my first prized pet (I had had other pets before him, but they were just temp pets until I found "the one"), and that he's been there for five years is reason enough to keep him. I don't even really like the white lion skin that much anymore (it's ok, but there are other cat skins I'd like better now), but it doesn't matter. I just can't let him go. Even if I were to let him go and re-tame Echeyakee, it just wouldn't be the same. So, no matter what, I'll keep him.

But for the other pets that hung around for a while, I didn't have much problem letting them go because they just didn't get as much use. I think the one pet that I actually do regret letting go was Rhytil, my Outland carrion bird. If we get more stable slots, you can bet I'll be taming another one. He was just a cool bird.

Like Veph said, it all depends on how I feel when I'm hovering over that "Abandon" option. If I can just click it, then it wasn't meant to be. Other times I start to click it and then just can't bring myself to do it. That's how I know whether I'm still attached or not. (And I had a very hard time clicking it for Rhytil but did it anyway >.<)

[kamoodle5]

It's very hard to let go of a pet you had for so long, and in a way, I do find it heartless for a good reason. Before I went with my orc hunter, I decided what my five pets were going to be, although a part of that part had to be changed ever since they nerfed Arikara's poofing. However, an indigo wind serpent from WC that has the word "Elite" by his level is good enough for me for a wind serpent. Now that I have my team, I'll never let them go, not even for spirit beasts.

On my old hunter, I never let go of my orange cat even though his skin color is common and didn't look much compared to the other cats that seemed cooler.

[Nakrin]

I can not see me ever letting my cat go I'm kinda hooked on rare pets and Dishu was the first one I got,
http://www.wow-petopia.com/html/mobs/mob_dishu.html

I did drop a gorilla for
http://www.wow-petopia.com/html/mobs/mob_hayoc.html
but I don't like his pet and think that I will drop this one first If I have to drop any,

my point being The cat was one I wanted the serpent was just one I found without looking for it so even if I stop liken the cat It will be hard to let go its been with me for a long time and has saved my skin a lot

[Daranara]

My red core hound, oh man... I've always been BM, and so when the patch came out, I knew I wanted a corehound so much, he'd be so awesome! So I rounded up some friends the weekend after it dropped and tamed one! We were a good team, for a while.

...but as time went on, he started getting less and less face time, and eventually just dragged behind the other pets. He sat in the stables for a very long time, only ever brought out to tromp around dalaran with my baby corehound minipet. My stables were full, I was feeling antsy for something new, but I hung on and hung on to him, because he was the pet I'd worked hard to get! Of course I wanted him...

But did I really? I wasn't so sure anymore. So I hemmed and hawed about it for over a week, and finally (after a friend reminded me that it was in fact totally possible to go and get him again if I changed my mind), I was finally able to hit the 'release' button.

Was it hard? Yes. Do I regret it? A little, but not so much. I think it was the right decision to let him go, freeing up his stable slot for someone else that 'clicks' better.

[twilightsky]

if it helps any we get to choose our pet tree in cata... :< i personally wouldve just of kept it. At the moment i got Frostmourne (loque) and Taint (warpy) in stable quite alot cos i raid as surv and therefore use my wolf snowfall instead. There is also my Boo (ravager) who i use for everything else and Zanza (raptor) that i keep cos i had her when i was leveling through STV soo in a nut shell use all stable slots use pets that you want to use for leveling and then the ones you should when raiding... I personally love Boo and could never replace her no matter what sort of patch and what i should be using, in cata im getting rid of snowfall.. only got her cos i need a wolf and raiding with Boo she be so lovable <3

[Epicfail]

Good post. Hard question.

I've loved and let go of so many pets at this point you may as well consider it a catch and release program. During Classic, I considered a new pet skin being a lot like a new weapon. The bigger and more exclusive the pet was, the more I wanted it. Wintersping sabers were the covetted colors, but King Bang and the other pets with increased speed were all on my "must collect" list until thier untimely nerfing. I was a LOT more protective of my pets during TBC when it was still 3 pets stablemaster. I did blades edge linx, pink/purple arakoa hawk and a green/black raptor.

I took a bit of a break from my hunter and when I returned with him in Northrend, I went collector crazy again. I've tamed just about every new mob/skin at least once, minus the spiritbeasties. Numeroc became my first real un-releasable favorite. It just took too damn long to get him and she's awesome for so many reasons. I've done a few devilsaurs with I think the black one as my fav that I'll keep (until Cata and hopefully new devilsaur skins). I got Gondria and as much as I like the whole spiritbeastie thing, I'd rather she looked more like the spectral tiger mount or something stary looking.

[cowmuflage]

I still have the first 3 pets i have tamed and i don't think i will get rid of them. yes there basic skins but i dont care i like the way they look and there just as good as other ones of there type there just not "fancy" lookin.

[Ryai]

Good post. Hard question.

Coming from you that means alot :p

And @ cowmuflage it wasn't about having a fancy pet or not. The question really was What do you do- if you lost interest in said pet. But at anyrate.

I am glad to know I'm not the only one guilty of losing passion about a pet. Makes me feel a bit better to read over the posts here.

[Tilo]

I had Old Cliff Jumper & Bjomolf for a little while, due to rarity, but I saw more folks with these two; I lost interest in their coats also that they don't actually have a howl sound, & went with an old school Diseased Wolf; which is my favorite & he's used often.

King Krush having taken 19hrs to obtain he'll definitely be a keeper, as will the Diseased Wolf; some long timers that I did keep Araga, Old Cliff Jumper, I was a little saddened to abandon them but I really didn't like them that much now that I think about it; was just for rarity.