Having recently moved to living on my own, I’ve discovered that fish don’t make the best companions for daily life. However, in choosing a new pet, I ran into a series of problems. I’m not a dog person. I’m allergic to cats. I don’t like the smell of hamsters. My apartment complex would not let me have a reptile, and birds make far too much noise. It seemed to be a dismal plight – I was doomed not to have a companion.