I have seen many "Pets should give you an advantage" posts, such as ones that suggest dogs dig up treasure or monkeys gather fruit. This is not one of these posts. Instead, I propose that pets with new animations, some of which pretend to help, having related animations but giving no real advantage. Also, I'm suggesting "passive equipping" as a way for a pet to permanently stay close to their owner, such as a parrot on a shoulder. Passively equipped animals would make minimal/subtle noise only audible to the owner and their crewmates, so they aren't a stealth issue. Passive pet noises could also be adjusted in settings to avoid them drowning out audio cues.
For example:
Dogs: Preform a digging animation wherever a crew member or the owner of the dog has dug within three seconds (Time limit exists to avoid dogs treasure seeking). Could be passively "equipped" by the owner to follow them around at very short distance, even joining them inside the barrel of a cannon.
Cats: Chase after- but do not harm- rats on your ship. They do not chase rats on other ships at all, as this could blow a boarder's cover before they can disable it. Could be passively "equipped" by the owner to be lying across both the owner's shoulders.
Parrots: Sometimes lands on branches of trees, bobs head, and possibly gives those who stand under it a temporary white stain on their hat or hair. Could be passively "equipped" by the owner to stay on their shoulder.
Monkeys: Swing or ride on the ropes of the ship. May also drool over the owner's crew's treasure. (Does not interact with other crew's/stolen treasure to prevent treasure seeking) Could be passively "equipped" to stand atop the owner's head and interact with certain, larger hats such as the bell brigade hat.
The purpose of all this: To make pets more immersive and more worth the coin without giving anyone a real advantage. If you see a way any of these things could be used to someone's advantage, please reply to this post and I will find a way to fix it.
