Should Your Child Or Toddler Have A Pet?
“I promise I’ll feed him and walk him and play with him and love him forever and ever if you get me a…” Ah yes, The Pet. Puppies, kittens, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish, birds, rabbits, gerbils – there’s an unlimited supply of animal companions for children and adults alike. Ultimately, as a parent, you will be faced with a child who wants a pet so badly they will do anything for it.
For some time now, child development experts have concluded that young children should have the benefit of a household pet. Having a pet has many advantages:
* Pets teach children about the existence of other living creatures first-hand rather than on television.
* Pets help children understand nature’s ways and the authentic natural world rather than animated cartoons where all the animals, predators and prey, get along famously. Nice, but it teaches a false perception of the ways of the animal kingdom. Perhaps your toddler is not ready to watch the National Geographic channel where predators mercilessly run down their prey and eat them alive. But the misconceptions of movies such as “The Lion King” don’t prepare your child for the real cycle of life.
* Owning and caring for a pet teaches your child responsibility and accountability. Fish die when they aren’t fed. Hamsters squeal in pain if they’re squeezed. Puppies have housebreaking accidents that need to be cleaned up. Animals aren’t like stuffed Teddy bears; they need food, water, veterinary care, and a clean environment.
* Pets die. Children often have their first brush with death and grief when a beloved pet dies or must be euthanized. Understanding a pet’s death is a dress rehearsal for the death of Grandmother or Uncle Bob. Coping with death is an important part of a child’s socialization.
* Having a pet teaches toddlers the essential skill of empathy with other people and with animals. At this age, children should be developing a sense of compassion and emotional intimacy with others. This is how they learn to make friends and to avoid doing things that hurt others. Caring for a pet is the perfect opportunity for toddlers to learn kindness and tolerance.
* Pets are a lot of fun! Toddlers are endlessly fascinated watching hamsters run on their wheel, the crazy antics of ferrets, the playfulness of puppies and kittens, the graceful movements of goldfish, and the chattering of birds. Having a pet is not only great fun, but pets also provide valuable knowledge about the way real*life animals function in the world. With puppies, they find the only unconditional source of love in their lives.
If you think your toddler is ready to care for a pet, first consider what kind of pet is appropriate for your child’s age, degree of understanding how to care for the pet, and the child’s comprehension that these are living creatures that need daily care. Many people bring home a new pup and allow them to romp around the house out of control. Inevitably, this leads to chewing on shoes, books, socks, the couch, and any number of other things. This can be especially destructive with small children who will constantly be leaving their toys and other items where the puppy can get to them.
The best way to prevent destructive chewing is to crate train your dog. To do this, you will need a crate that is just big enough for your dog to turn around in. Make the crate a safe and happy place for your dog. Provide him with their own stimulating toys, not your child’s, while he is in the crate. Crate training your dog will not only prevent destructive chewing, but will also aid in potty training and create a positive and safe environment for your dog to be when you’re not around. Some people think that keeping a dog in a crate when they’re not around is cruel. This is not the case at all. Dogs by nature like small, darkened places and tend to feel very safe in crates. Almost all dog trainers today believe that crate training is a necessary and positive part of your puppy’s development. If your dog is crated while you are not home, they will not have the opportunity to chew on your belongings and other harmful things such as power cords which could be very dangerous with children around.
Puppies and kittens grow into adult dogs and cats that require a lot of care – dogs especially. You might want to consider starting small, maybe with some fish, a rabbit or a hamster. Children learn to feed them, clean their environments, interact with them carefully and gently, and they provide hours of fun. Pets are wonderful teachers!
So, when your child asks if they can have a pet, what will your answer be? Working with animals can be a very rewarding experience and teach your kids many valuable lessons.
A wealth of information about pets and their care is available at this site About Dogs, Cats, Other Pets and Their Care.
