I think pets are absolutely useless at the moment other than "awww" factor. Here's some ideas to make them a little more functional. I should first start by saying that pets, right now, love you by default. No matter what. You can kick them in the ass all day and they'll just smother you with love. Pets should have a heart level just like NPC's (except maybe 5 hearts instead of 10) and the heart level of the pet will affect the effectivity of the perks listed below. From 0 being nothing at all to 5 being able to do all of them and with great results. To get affection with your pet there should be an option to put food in its bowl, and the obvious already implemented ability to talk to it. I don't think pets should get sick if you don't feed them, their heart level just won't increase. Constantly putting food in its bowl (get it from Pierre's/Marnie's) and talking to it will increase its disposition towards you. The Dog Digs up artifacts or geodes and brings them to you. (You could also have spots in your farm where the dog has "buried" them and you must dig them up with your hoe.) Can bring the dog with you on expeditions into the mines, and he can attack enemies to paralyze them momentarily while you get a few good swings in. Can be equipped with a "collar" that allows you to take him on walks. When walking he will sometimes start barking and run to an area; dig there for a buried item. While on walks, certain people like it (or dislike it) when you talk to them. Could give you a once-off heart level where they either comment how much they love or hate dogs, for a couple NPC's. The Cat Catches a fish every 3-5 days and brings them back to you. An icon could be above its head to show it's caught something. Can be petted once a day to restore 25 energy. (Come on... kitty cats) Will occasionally chase away crows. This could be visible by crows sometimes approaching a crop for the cat to pounce it. Choosing a cat would basically mean 10-20% less crow attacks. These are just some ideas, nothing balanced. But hopefully they'll inspire some usefulness for pets in the future.
The affection is already on the list, as well as some functionality. However I definitely like the rest of the ideas. Added! http://community.playstarbound.com/threads/list-of-community-suggestions.106985/
