Animal Fancy

A hobby of appreciating, promoting or breeding pet and domestic animals, taking in ownership, showing, animal sports, competitions and selective breeding programs across a wide range of species; specimens may be kept in aquariums, terrariums or aviaries, or on hobby farms and in private menageries, and the hobby is organized into clubs and associations that range from pigeon keepers to Irish Wolfhound breeders. Herpetoculture, the keeping of reptiles and amphibians, is noted as a rapidly growing part of the animal fancy community. Participants and their communities are collectively called "the fancy" for their particular animal, of which the fancy devoted to cats alone is one well known example.