Pet ownership offers so many benefits to kids it isn’t even funny.
Still, you need to educate your kids on the responsibilities of having
a pet or things can turn tragic.
Educating children about pets can be a difficult task. This is
especially true of younger children who have a hard time telling the
difference between the household cat and that cute stuffed animal in
their toy box. They see something cute and furry and all they want to
do is grab it. This is a problem not just for the cat or dog but also
for the child. Pets will defend themselves regardless of how well
trained they are, and a child who pulls on a tail or is pulling the
animal by the leg is likely to get bitten or clawed unless the pet is
really used to it. Even if it is, making the pet miserable isn’t a good
idea.
Even when dealing with older children, there is an important need to
educate them some basic facts about pets. It is easy enough to show the
older child the danger of abusing the animal and this is not the major
problem. The pet is not something that exists just for fun and
pleasure, but rather they are living things with needs that must be
met. When a child is taught how to care for a pet, they are being
taught basic responsibility. The job of feeding the cat or walking the
dog can be the first chore of a child beyond the tasks relating to his
own care.
It is a common story. The child clamors for a pet and once the parents
give in and bring the pet home, it is the parents that have to take
care of them. It is all well and good to do those chores that are fun
like taking the dogs for a walk or playing with them, but cleaning up
messes is a different story. This is where the chance comes to make the
pet ownership into a responsibility training experiment.
One good approach to educating children the responsibility of pet
ownership is to consider a lower maintenance pet like a fish or a
hamster. Even such exotic pets such as hermit crabs or turtles can work
in this situation. When you select such a pet for your child, you can
make the pet the child’s responsibility. A fish tank can be kept in the
child’s room, for example, and the fish does not run all over the house
making messes on the carpet or chewing up the furniture. Yet the fish
does need to be fed, and the hamster needs its cage cleaned. The basic
needs are still there as well as the responsibility.
Pets and children are a natural mix. Many dogs and even cats become
very attached to children. Dogs that would not hurt a flea can turn
into vicious beasts when they see a child threatened. A cat who would
not allow itself to be petted to save its life will allow a little
child to treat it is a stuffed animal. In nearly every situation,
buying a pet is a good idea.
Hal Storm is with PetStoreYeti.com - your free resource for pet information.