"The kids are not taking care of the dog." Or cat, or hamster, or bunny. We hear this fairly often as a reason to surrender a family pet to our shelter. There are so many benefits for kids to grow up with pets that is makes us sad when the parents make such drastic decisions.
Did you know that some studies have been done that show that children growing up with pets in the home are healthier the first year of their life than children without pets? And that growing up with pets seems to reduce the likelihood of kids developing common allergies and asthma by as much as 30%?
Children with pets generally have higher self esteem, make friends easier, and develop important values such as empathy and compassion. Children with reading challenges are often helped greatly by simply reading to their pets. Up to the age of about seven, many children genuinely believe their pets are comprehending what they're hearing - and who knows, perhaps they are!
Children with pets, particularly dogs, spend more time outdoors, and in this electronic age where it seems every kid over the age of two has an electronic device or two, anything that encourages them to get outdoors for fresh air and exercise has to be a good thing.
Kids with pets also learn more about nurturing and responsibility. There is nothing wrong with making some pet chores part of a child's expected household help but to expect a child to be solely responsible for all aspects of care for the pet is simply not realistic.

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