I’ve been told there are breeds of dog that “need” to have jobs or they get depressed, bored, etc. Domestic fluffies are just there to look cute which isn’t the worst thing, but it seems that having a sense of purpose, a role, isn’t bad either. Feral fluffies will have those within a herd, so how to get domestics something similar? Well, small jobs and chores…
Inspired by @Carpdime and @Oculusfluffy’s continued work with Avocado 
This is just so commonsense that I feel like it should be hivecannon. Like unless hellgremlins make up a significant portion of your fluffy population (or they really are too stupid to watch foals unsupervised [artist-kun fluffs spring to mind]) there really isn’t a reason this shouldn’t be the norm.
Lovely as always @Chikahiro. Such cute ideas
But the idea of people paying daily to keep their idiot shitrats entertained and occupied? Some people shouldn’t be trusted with money. Fluffies are toys. Seriously. This is like subbing to WoW and then paying people to play in your account while you work so you’re “make the most out of your purchase”.
Directly inspired by this Fluffies with Jobs series, I created Fwuffy Fawms Cweamawy with Mike Rowe. The mares in the final chapter teach the foals how to be good milk mares. Fluffies teaching fluffies how to do jobs is a perfect recursion and saves on paying real people to train them.
Thank you! I love Artist-Kun’s fluffs, but while they can be incredibly cute and sweet I wouldn’t actually want one based on behavior.
Regarding the tangent:
I think the big thing would be making sure there’s consistent discipline and ensuring that you aren’t the fluff’s sole social contact. Because while a fluffy might be a toy, its no fun if its needy, naggy, etc. All the things having a lonely fluff might result in. And probably still cheaper than a kid.
That said, I do agree in that if you don’t have the time and energy for a fluffy you shouldn’t have one. I don’t own dogs for the same reason.
Quick note:
Folks, if you’ve not read this series? You should. Its a lot of fun, has a nice feel and tone to it, and was just a joy to read.
And thank you, @Vanner! I didn’t know that!
Socialization as a possible issue is intriguing. I could see domestic fluffy ponies possibly getting overwhelmed by certain ferals’ behavior if they find them too unruly, etc. Do they have a specific period, for example, where after that window closes then it’s more difficult to teach them certain things? Food for thought.
The idea of a Big Brother, Big Sister type program for fluffies is a super fun idea, though.
Oh, I just mean a reoccuring charge for a fluff is beyond me. Costs like food, litter, toys all make sense to me. But the idea of paying real money, the amount you’d spend on a child (daycare money) for a foal is baffles my mind. Now if daycare is cheap cuz they are fluffies, so they can watch a lot of them at once for cheap (like $10-20/month), that’s understandable to me. Still would never alter my morning routine to drop off a fluff at daycare on my way to work 
That’s an interesting question. I think, like people, it gets both easier and harder to learn after a while. My brain isn’t the sponge it was when I was a kid, but at the same time I better know how to learn. But back to issues I’m a LOT more set in my ways too, and undoing my mental wiring is a lot more difficult.
I’d expect some things are best done when young, period. Habit is a powerful force, and it takes a lot less effort to learn a good habit early than try to unlearn a bad one later.
I’d expect it’d be a lot cheaper than a human daycare. Lot less regulating laws, legal requirements, cost of startup, etc. And “reputable” doesn’t necessarily mean “high end.” Just that the person/people running it is trustworthy. It could be someone in the neighbhorhood who stays at home during the day (like a retiree) who wants some extra spending money, and they get paid under the table/off the books.
Similarly, with birth rates going down? A full-sized daycare might diversify to make sure revenues stay up. Now, their costs would be higher but frankly there are going to be folks willing to pay the price. And some work places provide day care as an empoyee perk*.
*Not any place I’ve worked at and likely ever work at. But they are out there.
I guess that would depend on your view of fluffies. Personally, as I find them to be a cross between a child and a pet, I wouldn’t mind paying for them (already do for my pets so not a big difference) nor adjusting my schedule as if they were a toddler to drop off at nursery school. After all, a polite and well behaved fluffy is easier to live with. Having to not splooge up wet poop from the floor because the foal learned how to make good poopies and not to be a brat at the daycare is priceless.
Then again, if one were to view these fuzzballs as toy they’d be going against basic word definition, but some people do see irl animals as such so… 
Like anything, it depends on headcanon, the story/setting, amount of income the person has, etc. The choices I make at $30k/year are quite different than if I made $100k/year.
And in this case (broadly speaking), whether you have an AK fluffy, a Carpdime, a Bad Roomie, a Foxhoarder, a Fallen Angel, a Chikahiro, an OtherCoraline, an Oculus, a Swiftbitches, an Eded_Ted, etc. I suspect in the grand scheme of things you’d be dealing with VERY different dollar amounts for an average fluffy from each creator.
Your first idea is too cute. A neighborhood daycare makes so much sense. Cheap, you probably know the owner, the fluffies your fluffy meets are all locals, so they’d see the same ones over and over again and make friends. And local playmates makes it for playdates, since you’d be taking your foal a block or two over rather than across town 
Ewwww
Edit: @A-S So I can explain my reasoning without spamming comments.
I already consider my perfect little kitty as a member of the family. To elevate a workshopped, council-designed, and manufactured animal above that just feels like the psychologists on the marketing department have done their job too well, and that you’re being manipulated by people who actually care less for fluffies than abusers.
Well, that’s what they are for me. Not just a pet, because they can talk and reason like a (not really bright usually) human. Not a child (despite their childlike mentality and mannerisms) because they are still animals.
I’ve heard younger folks these days will often get a pet before having kids or simply not opt for kids and have pets instead. Hell, I’ve got older friends who decided that rug-rats weren’t for them and went with critters.
Re: kitty. SQUEEEE! I’m here in bed with mine right now. Hrm… I should get started on my day.
Which I get. Kids aren’t for everyone. Considering my own life circumstances, I’d be surprised if I ever have kids.
But the idea that “fur babies” are a replacement or alternative to actual children, I feel is strangely disrespectful to the family unit. Yes, families come in all shapes sizes and forms, but saying animals are an alt for children rather than a different tier of the family…
Granted, there’s probably no one who actually feels this way and I’ve created a straw man to justify my imaginary battle
But at the same time, you can’t place an animal that can talk, can reason and literally learn as a cat or dog. They are marvelous animals and I love my own to bits. BUT, if I were to be intellectually honest, I couldn’t put them on the same level when it came to consideration. Not love, I’d love fluffies like I love cats, because I love pets, period. But for the sake of not letting any prejudice such as “but they were made in a lab11!!1one” (just like I consider all those dog breeds basically made by human hand worth the same as a regular “unknown breed”) I cannot ignore that they’d be technically more than regular pets.
Kitties are just as affectionate as their pupper counterparts, despite the stereotypes, and they are lower maintenance. Change my mind
Agree to disagree 
