A PS 'story' isn't what makes it or breaks it. A good PS needs to:
- say what it's supposed to say. You can talk about Fido this and Fido that until the cows come home, but if it doesn't explain why YOU are interested, why they should accept YOU, and what YOU expect to do with the degree, then none of it matters.
- be memorable. You can do this by starting it with a story about a flaming opossum or an artificial vagina (y'all think I'm making those up?) but there are other, less sensational ways to be memorable. Just try to leave a good impression.
- have the grammar and structure expected of someone with a college degree. If all you have to offer is a version of yourself in paper, at least put some effort into making sure you sound intelligent. Are you gonna interview in pajamas and old sneakers? No, you'll dress nice? Nicer than normal? Well, dress up your words too, even if you are normally a slob.
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convince the readers that you have something really important that you will bring to the profession. This one is a bit harder to quantify than the rest, but it's worth some thought.
As for pet hours, include them if you have a school that wants them. I can pretty much guarantee that a school won't toss out your app if they have to ignore one of your listings for animal experience. They'll just... well, they'll just ignore it. No big.
However, be very careful with the hours. Be very, very conservative. Underestimate. If you think you really did spend three hours a day caring for Fluffy, cut it down to one and leave out Sundays. Or something like that. They just want to see that you have had pets and cared for them. This (general pet care) should not be the bulk of your animal experience hours even if it is the area with the most hours - it is probably the least important.