Should Your Child Have a Pet?
Contributed by Angie Lewis
Having a pet, can enhance a child’s physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. When a child turns approximately 5 years old it’s a good time to introduce an animal into his life. Discussions about the time for adopting a pet and the type of pet should be conducted long before the actual adoption. Certainly, the division of chores around the pet should also be a topic of discussion. Be prepared to do all the caregiving if your child decides that he doesn’t want to take care of the pet anyore. It is not the animal’s fault that the child has failed to follow through. The animal should not be punished because your child didn’t maintain his commitment, The pet should be considered a “family” pet and receive care from all family members.
One of the main reasons for adopting a pet is to foster a relationship between your child and the pet, particularly a dog. Dogs are so loving and generous with their time and love. This fosters a young child’s loyalty to a best friend. Young children can be very selfish, and this relationship is a good example of putting someone else above yourself. As a young child, I always put my cats’ needs before my own. I continue to do so even now. My philosophy continues to be that my animals are as important as I am and it tis my job to put them first.
Teaching your child responsibility is very easily done with a pet. All animals need food, water, walks or outside time, grooming and training. As parents, we need to invest a great deal of time initially setting up schedules and checklists. After that, parents continue to monitor and model expected behavior. Remember not to punish the pet because your child has allowed a negative situation to happen. So that if a dog poops in the house because your child hasn’t walked him – the fault lies with your child and not the dog.
In terms of training a dog, if you are going through a formal experience, allow your child, if they are old enough, to take part in the training. This will provide your child with the skills necessary to train the dog and show the dog that he has to listen to your child as well as to you. It is truly a self-esteem booster to have your child work with your dog, and to see improvements in the dog’s behavior. I /always feel sorry for a child who hasn’t taken part in the training process. And then the dog doesn’t listen to anything that the child is asking him to do.
Also, make sure that your child has plenty of instructed play time with his pet. This will help strengthen their bond and learn about one another. I can easily say that the times I have spent with my cats and dogs have been the best times o mu life and it cherish those experiences more than anything in the world.