In the Defence of Grundos

There are currently over 7 million Grundos in Neopia, making them the 11th most popular pet, but if this is true then why are there so many Grundos being abandoned in the pound? I‘m hoping that I can shed some light on this situation and hopefully sway some of you readers to come round to a pro-Grundo way of thinking!

Some Background:

To truly understand Grundos, we first must look at their past to truly understand their present situation.

First off, Grundos did not start off in Neopia. They are not indigenous to this wonderful world we all call home. They were brought here by evil Dr Sloth as workers! The Grundo home planet is little spoken of, but by talking to a number of Grundos who are currently under my care I have found out that it is a colourful world many light-years away from Neopia. It was made up of Clans, not countries or lands as we have here. The clans were only made up of the same coloured Grundos (Red, White, Blue, Green, Purple, Yellow and Brown) and they lived in peace and harmony for many happy years... That was until Sloth came along. Sloth stumbled upon this peaceful world and saw it as easy pickings. He quickly invaded this peaceful haven with his powerful armies and high technology. He gave the Grundo leaders an ultimatum. He said either they surrender their first born sons and daughters to him to be his workers or else he would destroy the Grundo home planet with everything and everyone on it. The Grundo leaders had no choice, and grudgingly every Grundo family had to pass over their first born child to Sloth and his evil dominion. These children were to be Sloth’s puppets, and were made to obey his every command. Sloth even went one step further by creating a potion that horribly mutated these ordinary Grundos into highly powerful and dangerous minions. Perhaps even worse, he kept the Grundo race ignorant. He let them stew in stupidity and forbade learning of any kind less the Grundos become powerful enough to upturn his cruel reign over them.

After the defeat of Sloth, many Grundos were at a loss. They were miles away from home with no families to guide them, the only life most of them had ever know was obeying the orders of an evil dictator, they just didn’t know what to do with themselves. Eventually, one slightly brighter Grundo set up the “Adopt a Grundo” base in the Virtupets Space Station and that’s how many of you will have picked up your Grundo.

Bad Press:

After what can only be described as a horrible beginning the Grundo has, nevertheless, flourished in Neopia. Many of them have found homes with loving owners or even set out on their own setting up shops or even their own colony (points to Kreludor).But even after the Grundo has become a success story for Neopia, I still feel they get somewhat of a bad wrap.

For example, when you go to adopt a Grundo from the Space Station, look at what the till assistant says:

“I don't know if you really want one, though. They slobber horribly, and cry at night. Oh well, I guess you know best!”

...That’s not a great first impression! And besides, of course they’re upset, they’ve been forced to be workers for most of their lives and they’re light-years away from their families! That’s why it’s our jobs as owners to care for Grundos properly!

Also, there’s so many of them in the pound! Why after finally adopting a Grundo from the Virtupets Space Station would you then abandon it in the pound? The poor creature has finally found a home and then it just gets forgotten again. And remember, this isn’t a pet that gets born into your care; you adopt an already fully grown Grundo who was once a servant to Sloth. They need care and attention, not abandoning!

Another point of call is Grundo names. Now I’ve seen a lot of Grundos in the pound with very bad names, some of which are just numbers. But you’ve got to remember that when they were workers that’s how they were named, with just numbers like prisoners. Some Grundos may not be ready to let that go yet, and so if you adopt a Grundo with a numbered name, then just allocate it a new name; then maybe over time it will begin to use that name rather than its number.

Also, I know a lot of people are put off by the fact that Grundos start at a lower level of intelligence than most pets. But this was evil Sloth’s doing, and it’s our job as caring citizens of Neopia to pass on our knowledge and allow those pets who aren’t very intelligent the opportunity to learn. And Grundos love to learn! Once you’ve got a few books down them they can’t stop! Why do you think the colony of Orange Grundos on Kreludor have their own book store... they just can’t get enough!

Grundos are so easy to care for as they eat almost anything and enjoy any games or toys that you buy them because they’ve never experienced such luxuries before. They don’t need grooming very often (due to lack of fur!) and are just content to have finally found a stable home with people who can love them for who they are.

So please, don’t let the ignorance continue, help a Grundo today to become a more rounded member of Neopian society. They love it here in our green and pleasant land. For the first time they’ve lived in a community made up of different species and colours. They are no longer restricted to becoming only one of 7 colours; they now can experience life in one of a possible 43 colours, and I for one think they look beautiful in every single one of them!

Life has never been greener for the Grundo, so please dig deep and help one out today. They may not have had the best start in Neopia, but they sure are making up for lost time!