It is totally safe to use the award to change the traits. I use it as soon as a sim can get it if I play a sim I didn';t make. Like the Goths - I like them a lot but hate the grumpy trait - so I make those sims work hard to get that item (yes I do it the hardway too - it's more fun for me) - and I will quickly change those traits. It IS as safe as changing jobs and things like that as the game is actually programmed to do that with that award.
That is weird about strays in Bridgeport - but I honestly do not like Bridgeport and have not played it since the first week LN was out. I don't do well around the highrises - makes my stomach queasy the way they bounce - and believe me had I not needed to find out why sims got stuck in the elevators I would totally raze Bridgeport and get rid of anything higher than 3 floors. But unfortunately for me I can't let things lie - so I had to investigate why those buidlings lagged. Might I add Quailhogs has his all working fine - that fellow has magic fingers - so any you see in his worlds worked great when I tested those worlds. All of the creators on my list have their versions fixed in any worlds that they have any kind of highrise in - so you should not have issues with theirs.
As far as pets spawner - yes - they are self spawning - which really makes no sense that EA also offers the little creatures with buydebug spawners also as all worlds that have seed/rock/ and gem spawners will altomatically spawn the little creatures. The larger animals have no spawners anywhere and are programmed into the game via the EP itself. This is why I cannot understand you getting the horses, Unicorns, deer, raccoons, dog, and cat strays in city worlds as these are programmed in for only non-city designated worlds. I only get those collectible creatures in worlds designated as Cities that I have tested. I rarely play any city designated world after testing though as I want the creatures and do not have any problems with them. But even creators cannot place any spawners for any of the strays as there is none period.
