Pets?

[Sage]

As in would the Captains/Angels be allowed to have any?

I remember some mention, in a fanfic, of Rhapsody having tropical fish. Guess that would probably be alright as they are low mantanence, have a self contained habitat etc.
What about other animals though. Guess a dog or cat would be too much, but what about smaller mammals or reptiles.

How do you think the colonel would react... Not mind too much (bit of harmless companionship), or flip out because it violated some rule (health and safety) ?

It's just that I wrote a story revolving around someone having a pet [a hamster] and wondered if that would actually happen.

Your thoughts if you please

[Clya Brown]

Well, Cloudbase is supposed to be a military installation, so I'd have thought that the same rules would apply as you'd get on, say, an aircraft carrier at sea, whatever they might be. And I’d have thought that those rules would prohibit them completely – after all, the potential for the little critters for getting into the machinery would be too great. Whether that ban would extend to goldfish I wouldn’t know, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised: after all, I can’t see Colonel White drawing up an edict on the subject going into details about which animals might be allowed and which might not. My guess would be “No animals – no way.”

I remember a story that appeared in the “Lady Penelope” comic years ago in which Rhapsody brought a small black & white kitten to Cloudbase. Needless to say it caused absolute havoc (by getting into the electrical systems) before it was enticed out by a strategically-placed saucer of milk, and if you check out Siobhan Zettler’s story “Sikako” at http://www.spectrum-headquarters.com/sikako.htm you’ll find a very credible description of the effect that another type of small rodent might be expected to have on the place. Perhaps the best way to work in a hamster would be to have it being kept very surreptitiously!

[Elentari]

The only example I can think about having pets on, for instance, a military ship, would be strays adopted as mascots. This was certainly done in WW2. Most of the time they would be dogs though I have an idea the odd bird or two and a cat have also featured. An adopted animal designated an OFFICIAL mascot would become a four-legged (assuming its a dog here) member of the crew - and would even be given a rank. It would have a bed and food and would be cared for by a member of the crew. The same procedures apply to animals adopted by the other military services.

Perhaps Colonel White might like to consider an official Spectrum mascot on board Cloudbase one day? I wonder what kind of pet though?

[Doc Denim]

I think the idea of pets is a definite no-no in a place like Cloudbase...though I do like this idea of an offical mascot.
"Mascot" hadn't really occurred to me, but I was giving some thought to an idea of Colonel White himself inheriting his grandmother's parrot when she passes away....

Doc Denim....

[Elentari]

There is an alternative to having an official mascot actually onboard Cloudbase (I should have included this with my previous post but I've only just remembered it!)

An animal in a zoo/wildlife park etc could be sponsored by a military organisation as an official mascot. Thinking of a black leopard that was sponsored by an Army Regiment, it was named after the regt's motto, and most of the time the big cat lived at the zoo of course, but there were major ceremonial occasions when the feline was transported to the Army base and stayed in a large cage especially constructed for that purpose for the duration of the event (which was hours, not days). It wasn't a frequent occurrence and the zoo must have carefully considered this against the promise of ongoing sponsorship fees paid for the leopard's upkeep.

I wouldn't suggest transporting a leopard or any other wild animal to Cloudbase (though the opportunity for a fairly surreal fanfic can't be ignored) , but maybe for an event at London HQ, it is not out of the question?

Elentari

[Marion]

Yeah, sure as a mascot that is cared for elsewhere - and something with multicoloured plummage would seem appropriate!
Not a hamster though... can't image Spectrum having a hamster as it's mascot...

[Sage]

LOL not probably not.

Ah well back to the drawing board, no hamster. But I am very taken with the idea of the base acquiring a mascot. I think a parrot would be appropriate; brightly coloured, flies etc.

Thanks for all you help

[chrisbishop]

Sage, you can use whatever animal you want for a story - the trick is to find a way to get it onboard...

Colonel White is watching our every move...

[Elentari]

Chris is right – there’s no official instructions written for Spectrum about pets! The rules don’t exist. There’s no equivalent place to Cloudbase in ANY military organisation today either. You can invent regulations to create conflict, or change ‘existing policy’ to allow pets…or you can ignore the whole darn rules thing and just go with the story.

Outside what is in the original show, Spectrum can be what you write it to be…and who knows what military policies (not just pets!) might change in the ‘real world’ by the era of Captain Scarlet anyway? Much has been written on the value of keeping pets, especially for people separated from their families (my guess is that’s how mascots came to be allowed).

Personally I think the Promenade Deck could support an aviary of small multicoloured birds – say finches, canaries and/or budgies. It’s the perfect place for them and I think they’d be popular with the Captains and Angels.

Continuing with the theme, maybe Colonel White might own a small dog one day (a gift from the World Pres so he can’t say no perhaps) – and if it was a small white dog I’d go for a West Highland Terrier!

Elentari

[mb2000]

I think a good mascot for Spectrum would be a chamelion, as it can be all the colours of Spectrum.

[Mary]

Nice one, MB!

I wanted to point out that in the world's navies, ships often had cats as unofficial but necessary "members" of the crew. While in port taking on supplies, ships often would get unwanted guests in the form of mice or rats. To keep them from devastating the supply of flour and other foodstuffs, cats came in very handy. I don't know if the tradition continues today on ships, but most independent bookstores I've been in have had resident cats for basically the same reason, to keep four-legged vermin from chewing up all the paper in the storage rooms.

[Captain Indigo]

I can see there being quite a large health & safety issue with having animals on board the base other than them getting into the systems. As Chris pointed out in 'Trouble with Mogwai', some people are allergic to certain animals, and even if a pet was kept in a confined area, there is the potential for fur (which carries most of the allergens) to enter the ventilation system. Animal allergies are extremely varied, and can be as specific as one breed of dog, or quite wide-ranging, and can include allergies to feathers, so even birds are not ruled out with this one. I can't see fish being a problem, though.

P.S. Sorry for being a misery, but as an allergy sufferer, I wouldn't want to live with it 24/7 like Destiny would have to do

P.P.S. Before any smarty-pantses out there point out that I worked for the RSPCA for 4 years, I had to put up with itchy eyes and sneezing all that time. I ended up on prescription antihistamines. Wouldn't have missed it for the world, though. The people who do that full time deserve a lot of respect that they don't often get. They work Christmas Day, you know.

[Devon]

I don't want to burst anyones bubble but even a parrot wouldn't bee too good of an idea. Granted they fly but then theres their waist and lets say the little darling is flying over a computer or.... a spectrum Captains head. They can also be taught to talk and there again could be a problem if he learned the wrong verbalization. Colonel White might like a sea talking bird but if its at it constantly then it could get irritating.

[Marion]

Waist or Waste?
Any animal on Cloudbase would be a problem - it's a confined space and the occupants are busy saving the world , so poor little Tiddles, or Spot, or Fluffkin Bunny might die of hunger if everyone was busy...
If they have a mascot - furry or feathered - maybe it is kept at the London HQ and only used on ceremonial occaisions?
I guess scaly ones might not be such a problem - tortoises, lizards, chameleons or snakes... etc...
Not exactly cute though... and Scarlet is scared of snakes...

[Captain Indigo]

Is he? I don't remember that one being mentioned anywhere. I suppose I'll have to catch up with my reading. What an excuse you've given me, Marion. I thank you.

It does bring to mind another so-called 'fearless' action hero though