We teach our children a lot just by how we treat and value our pets. Some types of animals exceed human life expectancy. Some live only a year or two. Most cats and dogs live beyond 10 years. Snakes eat other animals.
Large dogs consume mass quantities of food.
Exotics need a variety of specialty foods. Some critters will go absolutely cage crazy if they aren't provided with constant enrichment, exercise and or stimulation. Some need to be maintained at certain temperatures. Some animals are solitary animals. You may laugh, but even some commonly kept pets are illegal in some places.