Good Pets for Children
May 13, 2009 by Christine Gooding
Filed under Parenting
Pets! Aren’t they wonderful. I’ve watched my own nieces and nephews with pets, and seen the bonding that can develop. Not only do children learn responsibility in having to look after and care for a pet, they also develop empathy for them, which transfers into many aspects of their everyday lives.
Image: Flickr
Empathy means you can relate to the animal, (or other person), and understand how things are for them. I think that adults who have enjoyed having pets as children, can often relate well to other people in many different situations.
So, what are good pets for children? Here are the observations I made from my sister’s experiences.
They started with one rabbit, which led to two. A male and a female. Consequently the family had many babies!! The children fed them really well, and cleaned them out with some coaxing 
The real fun times were when the babies were running around the house. They were normally housed outside, but the little ones would be brought in to be played with.
They were so cute.
The children were shown how to be careful with the babies, and think how they would feel in the same situation. Luckily my sister had old, coloured axminster carpet on the floors, so there was no evidence left behind when the babies left. Well, none that they could see anyway! Seeing them being gently pushed around in a pink Barbie car was cute. Getting them all lined up for a photo was fun, especially when there were 8 of them, and invariably one or two would move just when you were about to take the photo. But there were tender moments also, like sitting in the sun, cuddling a rabbit on your knee.
Outside, the rabbits had many times when they roamed free around the yard and I often found them great company when doing the gardening.
Their other pets include two cats, and these have been great company also. They have freedom to roam the house, and spend their nights sleeping on the kids’ beds. I can relate to this! So nice to hear a purring sound as you drop off to sleep, or have a wet nuzzle to your face in the morning to wake you up, and tell you that somebody’s humgry!
The children have also learnt about the care needed for their pets when they are sick, and about trips to the vet. If you think about it we spend more time and money on vets than for our children when they’re young. This only holds true if your family (like ours!) is lucky enough to rarely needs to go to the doctor! So, this is all part of the learning process for children about how to care for someone and what to do when they are not well.
Pets can be a lot of work, but if you chose ones that are right for you and your family, they can bring a lot of pleasure and companionship and develop responsibilty and understanding in children.
What do you think?
great article……its also been proven that children that grow up around animals are less likely to develop allergies.
thanks! Yes, I agree….children surrounded by pet animals have less allergies….my daughter has had a cat most of her life and she has no allergies to anything whatsoever
Can I just add that parents need to be careful about buying pets specifically for their children? Since children are not mature enough to care for themselves, one cannot expect them to responsibly care for another living being. I cannot stress enough that parents need to buy the pet with with the mindset that the kids WILL NOT care for the pet. When little Tommy doesn’t feel like putting fresh water in the dog’s bowl or taking him outside in the middle winter or cleaning the cat’s litter box for the third time this week, the responsibility cannot be ignored. someone still has to do it.
Also, dogs, cats, and some exotics live for 10-15 years. What happens if that child goes to college or moves somewhere else where pets are not allowed? If the parent is not up for this long term commitment, DON’T buy the animal!
I think animals are a great addition to a family, but I think parents need to seriously weigh the pros and cons before acquiring a pet.
Hi Scott…I totally agree with you. If the parents are not up to being the alternative or long-term carer then yes, don’t buy pets. Our daughter has been hankering for a dog but we think that she’s not going to be in there for the long haul of caring for the dog that we’ve delayed getting one.
Maybe we’ll get one when my Husband and I both know that we can be the alternate carer in those times that our daughter is not up to caring for her pet!