One Reason NOT to Adopt A Pet!

Not too long ago, I attended a meeting where we had to wait awhile for someone caught in traffic. We started talking about our pets. When someone asked Steve if he had a pet, he told us he was thinking of getting his kids a dog but he probably wouldn’t. He said he knew they wouldn’t take care of it and he didn’t want to do it himself. I thought to myself, "Good decision, Steve! If you don’t want to take care of a pet, don’t adopt one and expect a child, who has no experience with a pet, to do it for you. But what a valuable friend your child is going to miss out on!" It was obvious Steve wasn’t a pet lover, his expectations were negative and kids tend to live up to our expectations! He’d missed out on one of life’s greatest joys, and his kids probably would too – unless they had an Aunt like Jane!

When it came to Jane, who has a golden retriever, she told us that feeding her dog was the best part of her day! She taught her dog to wait by his dish until she gave him the OK sign that he could eat. That eliminated any spills from Dodger bumping her in excitement while she gave him fresh water and dished up his food. She made "play dates" for him. She took him to different dog parks. She took him on hikes or to pet events on weekends. Once a week she took him to Doggie Day Care to play with his friends. She told us she "let" her nieces and nephews feed her dog when they stayed overnight – IF they "begged her to," because she wanted them to know how important he was to her.

Jane was bonded with her dog and she knew the "secret" of teaching kids what a joy it is to have a pet. It’s NOT a chore, it’s a privilege. So be prepared to "own" the pet’s care yourself and teach your children by example. What a breath of fresh air Jane brought to the table that morning!

The one reason we should NOT adopt any pet, is to teach our child "responsibility" – yet it’s one of the most common reasons families adopt a pet. The way to teach children responsibility is to model and teach responsible behavior. Parents need to demonstrate how to lovingly take care of a pet – by doing it. We should talk to children about how and why we feed, groom, bathe, exercise and train the pet. Take them along when you walk the dog or take him to the vet. Soon kids will want to help with the care and exercise of the pet and gradually around age 8 to 10, may be able take over some of the pet care.

When we make it the child’s "job" to take care of a pet and they forget to do something (like walk the dog or feed the hamster) we punish them – to teach them responsibility. It teaches them resentment. It’s a negative situation for kids, parents and the pet! Too many pets are returned to shelters because families told the kids they would adopt a pet IF the kids would take care of it.

However! There Are 17 times as many good reasons to adopt a pet! We hope our list of the valuable experiences that children learn from living with a pet will inspire you to adopt one! Maybe you’ll have something to add to our list!