As a vet tech, I frequently brought home discarded pets. My kids used to ask 2 questions, "Do we get to name this one or does it come with a name already?" and "Why do all of our pets arrive with funny haircuts?". Our first dog, "Puff", who looked very much like the dragon in the movie The Never-ending Story; arrived 2 days before my son's 8th birthday. While I was outside setting the picnic table, Puff ate 7/8ths of the birthday cake I had spent an hour decorating to Josh's specifications. Having been a stray, he showed no ill effects, but it did take a couple of days for Josh to forgive him.