Dogs, Children and Responsibility!

Dogs and children seem to go together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a perfect match for the most part. For many of us, growing up included at least one dog and maybe a cat or two.

Not too much attention was paid to spaying or neutering, kittens or puppies were considered part of the game when you had a pet. Trips to the vet were only for dire emergencies and it took a lot to determine what was a dire emergency.

Not too much attention was paid to what we fed our pets, the dogs usually got table scraps and the cats were supposed to catch their food and usually fed some milk and whatever else they would eat.

Life was fairly simple during those childhood days; Mom and Dad assigned simple chores and the family as a group kept watch on each other including the pets.

Where did those times go and why is life suddenly so much more complex?

As I look back on a time when our family had nine dogs. We did not go out and acquire nine dogs the dogs acquired us. With the exception of the three we did choose to be our dogs, the other six seemed to drop out of the sky and onto our driveway to become members of our household.

And this is where our story begins. Where does responsibility fit in when you first set out to get a pet for yourself or your child?

Many parents think that getting their child a dog will teach the child responsibility. The child will learn to be responsible for the care of something. The child will learn empathy and love for another living being. And if all else fails, there will just be so many opportunities to get some really cute pictures of their child and dog to show off to family.

These are all great reasons for getting a dog, but there is one very important point missing. If you want to teach your child to be a responsible dog owner you have to be one, too. You cannot teach your child anything, if you are not setting the example with your own behavior.

Having a dog as a pet in the family means just that, the dog is part of the family and what do family members do? They watch out for each other. If Mom or Dad is not a good role model when it comes to taking care of the dog, how is the child to learn?

Certainly, you can assign all the chores to the child you want, but if you are not willing to step in when necessary and show the child where it is being neglectful and take over the duty, nothing is gained.

Threatening to get rid of the dog if the child does not tend to its responsibilities does not teach responsibility, it teaches the child that the dog is a disposable item and is as meaningless as a broken toy. The dog is really not a loved member of the family, but something that can be tossed away (like in our driveway) or taken to a shelter. And should the child in a fit of anger say, "fine take the dog away," even if he/she does not mean it. How can we measure the emotional trauma the child may face in the future, when the guilt of giving up the dog sinks in?

Giving up a dog or cat may not seem like an emotional problem to a busy non-pet caring parent, but as the reality sets in to a child it may damage that child's future ability to fulfill responsibilities or to commit to relationships, canine or otherwise. Our animal shelters are filled with these broken bonds as are many homes where animals have been dropped along the roadway and caring people have picked them up to give them forever homes.

I guess the point I am trying to make is, if you are a parent and you want to teach your child some responsibility, along with bringing more love and joy into your home by getting a dog. Do it only if you the parent are going to commit yourself to helping care for the pet. Do not even think of it if you are going to use the pet as a threat over the child's head or as a means of punishment for a wrongdoing. Unless you are willing to accept the dog as part of your growing family, as a responsibility for yourself and your child, get a fish.

If your child does not fulfill his/her responsibility, neglects their chores take away a privilege do not use the dog as a threat, you would not threaten to take away a younger brother or sister if the older child did not fulfill a babysitting responsibility, would you? If your dog is not part of the "real" family it has no business being there in the first place.

The only way a child can learn to be a responsible human is by following in the footsteps of their parents. If you are a loving, humane and caring individual, who shows love and compassion to not only people, but to the family pet, guess what your child will learn to do! Yep, follow in Mom or Dad's footsteps!

Having to raise a puppy along with a child is not an easy task. If you are not familiar with the problems that lie ahead, attend some training classes many classes will allow children over the age of seven. Use the same positive training methods on the puppy as you would use on your child. Do not hit or beat the puppy for wrongdoing.

Read a dog training book or two in order to get a handle on what to expect before you venture out to get a dog. Do some research on what breeds are better with children, some are, some are not.

Never and I cannot say this strongly enough leave a child under eight alone with a dog, puppy or not. Too many dogs have bitten children when they have been left unsupervised.

Teach your child how to play gently with your dog. When walking your dog and you have a young child, put two leashes on the dog and let your child walk with the longer leash and you keep control with the shorter one.

You can teach your child and your dog basic commands like sit, stay and come. Teach your child that those commands are not to be used as "toys" to drive the dog crazy as some children will keep at the dog until it get stressed out and may bite. If your child understands that you treat your dog as you would a close friend with kindness and by being polite the relationship should last a lifetime.

I hope these few ideas and thoughts will help you and your family build a long and loving relationship with your family pet.

If this article has been of benefit, please visit my web site and blog at http://www.cats-and-dogs-on-the-web.com

How Pet Health Care Teaches Responsibility

"For the last time, no you can't have a dog!" Ten words which will be familiar to parents all over the country, whose children have begged, pleaded, kicked and screamed. They're often very reluctant to allow their children to get a pet since it will be mum or dad organising the pet health care when the novelty has worn off and the puppy has become a dog.

It's certainly true that children rarely consider the implications of taking on such a big commitment as an animal which has a good chance of still being alive when they leave for university in ten years' time. They don't necessarily understand the pet health care requirements of a dog or the financial commitment that feeding one for fifteen or more years can entail.

For some children, though, perhaps this commitment could be a fantastic learning process. Taking on pet health care, feeding and walking a dog is a fantastic way to learn about responsibility and many children will thrive when required to take charge. Having a living, breathing being rely entirely upon them for everything is a guaranteed way for a child to learn maturity, responsibility and commitment.

It is vital that those parents who do agree to allow their child to get a pet set boundaries and rules before bringing home the pet. The child must be made fully aware that they animal will be relying on them for everything, what the pet will need to be properly looked after and the consequences if the pet isn't cared for. These should not be underemphasised; on the contrary, the child is likely to be more responsible for their pet if they are aware that health problems may result from lack of care. Parents should also underline that the pet is the child's responsibility and that they won't be walking the dog when the child doesn't feel like it and it's raining.

Being responsible for pet health care can teach children a lot about maturity and responsibility. Very young children may not be able to cope with the commitment and could perhaps be left responsible for the cleaning and feeding of goldfish or a hamster. Older children are more inclined towards bigger pets like dogs and cats. The next time your child implores you to get a pet, have a discussion about responsibility and pet health care needs. They'll either agree and have a chance to learn a lot, or, terrified of the responsibility quickly change their mind; parents can't lose.

Jess Moss is a writer from England. She enjoys writing about current affairs, animals and pet health care. Visit http://www.pethealthinfo.org.uk/ for more information.

Pets, Children and Responsibility

Bringing a pet into a family home is an excellent way to teach a child responsibility, routine, empathy and consideration for others. However, it is very important that parents talk to their children about what owning a cat or dog will entail - this includes the various duties they will have to help out with and the amount of responsibility that they will have to be accountable for. Parents should sit down with their children and talk through what responsibilities they feel they can handle; it is initially important to give a child a task or duty that they find easy and will be able to perform daily.

Levels of responsibility should be appropriate for the age of the child as younger children will not be able to have as much responsibility as older children. For children aged 5 or under tasks should be minimal and always carried out with adult supervision; these can include helping to brush or groom the animal, helping to clean and put away the pet's food bowls, helping to clean-up and put away the animal's toys and also to observe the parents putting food into the pets' bowls.

Between the ages of 5 and 10 the level of responsibility should increase and some tasks can be carried out by children on their own. Children of this age can have an increased involvement with grooming, cleaning and tidying of the pet's area and they can start to put food and water into the animal's bowls; although they should still be supervised by an adult when feeding a dog as the dog can get excited and accidentally bite or snap. Other responsibilities that can be introduced for this age group include helping with exercising, walking and bathing the dog (depending on the size of the dog).

For children over the age of 10 all of the responsibilities mentioned before can be undertaken by the children on their own. They should also be cleaning and maintaining the pet's toilet area; this will be the responsibility that a child is most reluctant to take on but it is essential that they do as it will teach them to persevere.

It is important for parents to positively reinforce any task that a child undertakes that benefits their pet by praising them when they have completed it to ensure that they learn responsibility and consideration of others is a morale that is essential for social life. This should only be done when a child completes a pet chore off their own free choosing i.e. they have done it without being asked. A great way to do this with younger children is by speaking in an excited high-toned voice to the dog after the child has just completed the chore. The dog will become excitable and jovial because of the tone of your voice and so the child will think that the dog is happy because of the chore they have just completed.

As children start to do after school activities and join sports teams or clubs, they may start to lose their focus on their responsibilities concerning their pets. If this happens then the parent(s) should sit down and talk it through with them, they should not scold or tell them off as this may cause resentment towards the pet. If a child is finding it hard to keep up with their pet chores during the week then the parents could suggest that they do less on weekdays but more on the weekend. Another good idea that parents can utilise is to put up signs around the house reminding the child of their responsibility to their animal(s).

The best way for a parent to encourage a child to look after their pet properly is to lead by example, showing them that responsibilities should not be dropped because other variables in their lives (such as their social life, increased work-load at school or lack of free time) have changed.

Head to our website to see our fantastic range of pet insurance policies. For every quote we make online we'll donate 50p to an animal charity with the goal of donating a million pound to animal charities by the end of 2012. Keep up to date with all things Animal Friends related on our Feel Good Park Facebook page. For every 'like' we receive we'll donate ￡1 to an animal welfare charity.

Pets, Children and Responsibility

Bringing a pet into a family home is an excellent way to teach a child responsibility, routine, empathy and consideration for others. However, it is very important that parents talk to their children about what owning a cat or dog will entail - this includes the various duties they will have to help out with and the amount of responsibility that they will have to be accountable for. Parents should sit down with their children and talk through what responsibilities they feel they can handle; it is initially important to give a child a task or duty that they find easy and will be able to perform daily.

Levels of responsibility should be appropriate for the age of the child as younger children will not be able to have as much responsibility as older children. For children aged 5 or under tasks should be minimal and always carried out with adult supervision; these can include helping to brush or groom the animal, helping to clean and put away the pet's food bowls, helping to clean-up and put away the animal's toys and also to observe the parents putting food into the pets' bowls.

Between the ages of 5 and 10 the level of responsibility should increase and some tasks can be carried out by children on their own. Children of this age can have an increased involvement with grooming, cleaning and tidying of the pet's area and they can start to put food and water into the animal's bowls; although they should still be supervised by an adult when feeding a dog as the dog can get excited and accidentally bite or snap. Other responsibilities that can be introduced for this age group include helping with exercising, walking and bathing the dog (depending on the size of the dog).

For children over the age of 10 all of the responsibilities mentioned before can be undertaken by the children on their own. They should also be cleaning and maintaining the pet's toilet area; this will be the responsibility that a child is most reluctant to take on but it is essential that they do as it will teach them to persevere.

It is important for parents to positively reinforce any task that a child undertakes that benefits their pet by praising them when they have completed it to ensure that they learn responsibility and consideration of others is a morale that is essential for social life. This should only be done when a child completes a pet chore off their own free choosing i.e. they have done it without being asked. A great way to do this with younger children is by speaking in an excited high-toned voice to the dog after the child has just completed the chore. The dog will become excitable and jovial because of the tone of your voice and so the child will think that the dog is happy because of the chore they have just completed.

As children start to do after school activities and join sports teams or clubs, they may start to lose their focus on their responsibilities concerning their pets. If this happens then the parent(s) should sit down and talk it through with them, they should not scold or tell them off as this may cause resentment towards the pet. If a child is finding it hard to keep up with their pet chores during the week then the parents could suggest that they do less on weekdays but more on the weekend. Another good idea that parents can utilise is to put up signs around the house reminding the child of their responsibility to their animal(s).

The best way for a parent to encourage a child to look after their pet properly is to lead by example, showing them that responsibilities should not be dropped because other variables in their lives (such as their social life, increased work-load at school or lack of free time) have changed.

Head to our website to see our fantastic range of pet insurance policies. For every quote we make online we'll donate 50p to an animal charity with the goal of donating a million pound to animal charities by the end of 2012. Keep up to date with all things Animal Friends related on our Feel Good Park Facebook page. For every 'like' we receive we'll donate ￡1 to an animal welfare charity.