One of Lubbock’s Biggest Pests Are Now Kept as Pets
Lubbock is home to a few different critters, including coyotes, rabbits, a variety of birds and insects, and more. One of the most common critters you’ll see around town that receives mixed reactions are prairie dogs.
Prairie dogs are both adorable and annoying at the same time. They're cute little critters that will always catch people's attention when you see than standing up on their little mounds next to the road. However, as cute as you might find them, you would never want to find them on your land. They can do a whole lot of damage to someone’s property, and the holes they dig can snap the ankles of any livestock you might own. This makes them a pretty big pest in Lubbock.
Despite them being viewed as a pest to many people, their cuteness is something that catches many people’s attention. So much so that there are people who keep prairie dogs as pets. A great example of this is the content creator Sarah Thompson, a woman that owns two prairie dogs named Pablo and Pedro.
These critters went viral on TikTok for their adorable "yahoos" and overall cute behavior. They are very spoiled little guys that get lots of love and attention from Thompson, and it is fascinating to see them in a domestic setting.
One thing that shocked me is that Thompson will bring them outside on a leash. One video is captioned with "he's obsessed with being outside now," which made me chuckle because they are meant to be outside, so of course he'd like it.
Despite it seeming somewhat ridiculous to keep a prairie dog on a leash, these guys seem to be extremely happy. If they were born and raised in captivity, then it only makes sense to keep it that way.
As much as I think wild animals should stay in their natural habitat, captive-bred animals wouldn’t stand a chance outdoors, so it's best for them to have great owners like Thompson to take care of them.