Studies show that kids between10 and 12 talk to their parents only 11 to 33 minutes per WEEK! At a time when its critical for them to learn to be sensitive to the feelings and needs of others (developing empathy), this lack of communication with their family is shocking. Dr. Robert E. Bierer’s studied kids with and without dogs. He asked each group 72 questions about their relationships with others. No matter what their ethnicity or background, the 93 children who had dogs showed much more empathy toward others and had more self-esteem than the 33 kids who didn’t have a dog. That’s a really good reason for having a family pet! January 2012