Peaaegu nagu inimene. Miks ja mida räägitakse lemmikloomadest
Almost like a human. Why people talk about pets?

Summary/Abstract: In the present work I analyse stories told about pets in groups. Stories about pets can be regarded as folklore because it is oral lore and those stories can normally not be found in literary sources. They are based on personal experiences or stories heard from other people. There are three requirements for a situation which to be favourable for the storytellers: contact between two or more persons; the situation creates an atmosphere of storytelling; an interest in pets by at least one person. Stories of pets mostly involve cats and dogs. The reason could be that they are the most common pets. The stories I collected were mostly told by adults but the difference between stories of adults and children is small. It must also be mentioned that stories about pets are told in groups of unfamiliar people because they are generally understandable and popular. I made an attempt to categorise stories about pets and I initially found seven kinds: stories of getting pets; stories of special skills and/or character of the pets and special cases concerning them; stories about relationships between pets; stories about pet food; stories about ignorant pet owners; stories about dangerous pets; stories about the disappearing or death of pets. Stories about pets are a very popular form of communication. It is often a short form and there are not many motives but there are also many deviations of the standard. There are also Internet forums for people who love pets and the existence of Internet folklore is not to be doubted.

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