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Five Reasons to Adopt a Grundo this Valentine's Day


by newenglandquizzer

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Any “pound surfer”—a person who frequently searches the Neopian Pound for interesting pets—can tell you that there are a great many pets in the pound, but some species crop up more than others. One of the most commonly abandoned (and rarely adopted) species is the Grundo, Neopia’s huggably puppy-eyed friend from outer space.

Why these little fellows are so often left in the lurch is not certain. Part of it might be that new players create them at the Virtupets Space Station thinking they have found a rare pet and discover later what a very common and (sadly) unpopular species they are. Other players might find the ability to create them in purple, brown, and white, colors not normally available at a pet’s creation, to be a novelty whose charm later wears off.

Whatever the case, I wish to discuss the other side of the coin: adopting a Grundo from the pound. Need a reason why you should? You’ve come to the right place. I have prepared five reason why you should rescue a Grundo and give them a loving home in time for Valentine’s.

1. Hundreds to choose from

There are literally many hundreds of Grundo in the pound, hungry, sick, left to die by their former owners, for whatever reason. No other species comes close to having so many abandoned members. This might be reason enough for the soft-hearted—it certainly was for me. I am on a campaign to save as many lost Grundos in my Neo-career as I can. I want to see the number of abandoned Grundos drop to an all-time low. And of course I can’t do it alone.

2. Oh! The EYES!

For those of you who first want to find something appealing about a species before taking it in, look no further than the adorable eyes of these little aliens. They simply shower affection on the viewer, but they can’t do that if they’re crying in the pound. Make those big eyes happy again by adopting a Grundo into your Neo-family.

Before:

After:

3. Compliant former minions

Grundos originally served the evi—er, awesome Dr. Sloth. He created them to be mindless drones, and so every Grundo starts out at an intelligence of “dim-witted.” But they can still learn the same as any other species, and are delighted when you read them books or tell them to do their homework... unlike your sullen teenage pets. In fact, after the slave labor and horrible cafeteria food in Sloth’s empire, Grundos find themselves in heaven at your home, and will cheerfully pick up their room and eat their broccoli without a second word from you. It’s Neo-parenting at its finest!

4. Great names, stout hearts

Because Grundos are often abandoned and never adopted, there are many with great names in the pound. Sure, a lot of them are named galaxyinsert indefinite number of numbers here, but there are many awesome names that are overlooked simply because of the species of their bearers.

Grundos are also very brave after all their years of serving Dr. Sloth out in space. Great names and oodles of courage? Sounds to me like the perfect lab pet! Grundos are always up for an adventure after the monotony of stacking moonrocks on Kreludor and their months of being bored in the pound. So, go ahead and take one home with you! After a good meal, they’ll be more than happy to head down to the Secret Lab to see what’s in store for them. In fact, Grundos can be zapped into a lab-only color that is unique to them: Mallow. Yum!

This is even a good way to change their species or color and find them new homes with someone who never would have considered them if they were still a pound Grundo. I myself own an adoption agency devoted to rescuing Grundos (okay, and Gelerts. I really can’t resist long ears) from the pound and zapping them until the Laboratory Scientist decided to be nice and give us something pretty. Most of my adoptees leave looking completely different than when I took them in.

5. To all you creative peeps, and all you peeps who like looking at creative stuff...

Have you ever come across someone’s art page filled with anthro (that is, human-like, i.e. on two legs with some human-ish features) drawings and not been sure if that pet was a Shoyru, a Scorchio, a Draik, or a Darigan Zafara? Trust me, you’re not alone. A lot of species, if you modify them a little in your artwork, can hardly be told from other similar Neopian species. Grundos are another matter. So long as you give them their characteristic long alien ears, anyone will be able to pinpoint their species from a mile away. It’s the best of both worlds!

As for my fellow writers... do you know what a blessing it is to finally work with a species with opposable thumbs?? I generally write about Gelerts and other four-legged species, and it’s a real pain sometimes to realize that no, that Lupe can’t give a thumbs-up to his best friend. Grundos, on the other hand, can, as well as use can openers, silverware, scissors, and all manner of other items that we thumb-endowed humans constantly take for granted.

Convinced yet that adopting a pound Grundo is the perfect idea for this Valentine’s Day? I’m terribly sorry if you aren’t. But even if you aren’t, maybe, maybe you still could. Just try it for a few days, and see if those great big eyes grow on you.

The next step...

For those of you who are quite certain that adopting a Grundo is an excellent idea, I give a few suggestions. First of all, you could keep him or her as a permanent part of your Neo-family. Secondly, you could keep them as a lab pet, either to zap indefinitely or give to a new home when something spectacular happens. You could even start your own little Grundo adoption agency like I did, and dedicate your spare pet spaces to taking in Grundos and finding them new homes, either as-is or after zapping/morphing/painting them. It’s a rewarding experience to see a little pet that you found, lost and bedraggled in the pound, smiling and happy with their perfect new owner. Just try it out for a while, and you’ll see what I mean. Good luck! And happy Valentine’s Day!

Did this article change your outlook on Grundos, even a little? I'd love to hear about it!

 
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