Educating Your Little Ones About Pets


by Hal Storm - Date: 2007-01-29 - Word Count: 536 Share This!

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.

Related Tags: pet, children, family, parenting, parent, kid, responsibility, educating

Hal Storm is with PetStoreYeti.com - a directory of pet related services and information. Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

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