User:Rixation/featured article contest/Pets
Pets are walking, talking companions that will follow their owners around in Puzzle Pirates. Several varieties of pets can be purchased from the palace shoppe at costs varying from 12,000 to 100,000 Pieces of Eight. Any pirate can receive a free, randomly-colored rat by completing the 'Get loot for your home' mission from the notice board. Rats are the only pet available to non-subscribers on subscription oceans, and also the only pet which cannot be traded or gift-wrapped.
Pets can be named by their owner, but with care, since they can only be named once. Unlike familiars, a pets' name will be displayed above it in a scene, similarly to a pirate, only the name will always be white. Owners have several options for interaction with their pet, such as picking it up to not display in the scene, let it roam so that it can freely walk to any chat circle, or have it stay in its current pose and position. When a pet has been allowed to roam in a scene, its owner can retrieve it from anywhere on the ocean using the Reclaim button, found on the Placed Pets tab of the pirate info page.
While a pet is in a chat circle, it will often contribute to the conversation using phrases or sounds unique to its species. For example, a dog may sometimes say "Woof.", which is done in /speak while in a house or shoppe, or /vessel while on a ship.
Although pets do not age, and therefore cannot die, skellies can take any type of pet (except rats) which are not actively equipped in the Booty panel. Additionally, if a pirate is deleted, any pets they owned are also deleted.
