My kids are really begging us for a dog, and Kevin and I have done a lot of talking about this and think we're ready to make the leap. All our conversations have made me wonder how do we know that our family is ready for a pet? And how much work can we expect our young children to do for the animal? I asked Jennifer Remeta, who blogs at Toddler Tactics, and who just happens to have young children and a tremendous love of animals for some advice!--Diana
The neighbor’s dog just HAD to have puppies. And they just HAD to be adorable and bouncy and smell like puppy breath. Add to that their sudden infatuation with bounding after your hysterically giggling preschooler, and you are suddenly in trouble. You find yourself smack dab in the middle of the “should we get a pet, or shouldn’t we?” quandary. First of all, try not to panic. Many, many parents have been down the “To Fido or not to Fido?” road (or “To Kitty or not to Kitty” as the case may be), and nearly all of them survived. Nearly.
Bottom line, what kind of time do you have? If you’re currently juggling two jobs, taking care of the kids, haven’t seen your own living room floor in many, many months, and you think at one point the kids might have owned a hamster but you’re not positive, then this might not be the time to bring a cat or dog into the mix. If your kids would rather chase the neighbor’s cat into a state of complete terror than play on the swing-set, then a pet might not be the safest bet.
But if you have enough time and energy to teach your kids how to love and respect your pet, and there’s enough room in your chest for your heart to grow even bigger when you see the beautiful relationship that develops between a child and an animal, then for goodness sake, what are you waiting for? A few simple rules for adopting a pet when you have small children at home:
1. Avoid toy breeds. Small dogs are easily injured and can often be more fearful around small children. Look for sturdier, more family oriented breeds like mixed breeds or retrievers.
2. If you adopt a cat, make sure litter box placement is out of the range of curious toddlers and preschoolers. A covered litter box is best, preferably in an off limits to kids portion of the house.
3. A wise choice for families with children is a rescue dog. Contact local rescue groups in your area. Most dogs in rescues are being “fostered” in someone’s home. This provides you vital information as the foster parent can let you know how the animal acts around children, whether they are already housebroken, and if the dog has shown any food aggression (always avoid food aggressive dogs with children of any age!).
4. Last but not least, research what the health costs will be for your pet. A German Shepherd for instance may have a tendency towards more hip problems later in life. A Great Dane on the other hand will cost considerably more to feed every week.
Once you’ve jumped in with both feet and find yourself with a four-legged slobbering addition to the family who tends to whine in sheer ecstasy whenever he smells you cooking dinner, you might realize there’s a lot more work to this than you planned on. You’ve worked with the kids on why we don’t pull Boomer’s tail or bite his ears. You’ve worked with Boomer on why we don’t jump on the children or drink gleefully from the toilet. Way to go! Now when everyone goes to bed you still have dog toys to pick up along with kid toys, and there seems to be a fine dusting of animal hair to go with all the random unexplained carpet spots. Have no fear; your children really can learn to help take care of your pet. It’s simply a matter of making the tasks age appropriate.
Some great pet care tasks that your little ones can get involved in:
1. Hang leashes on a low hook by the door. Let your kids be in charge of getting or hanging up the leashes.
2. Set the timer on your stove or microwave. You kids can come let you know when it’s time for your pet to go out to go potty.
3. Let your little ones help pick out new toys for your pet at the store when it’s time, and they can be responsible for putting your pet’s toys away in their own special place at the end of the day.
4. Have your children be in charge of “pet play time” each day. They can run in the backyard, play with a feather toy, anything to keep both them and your pet active.
5. Your child can practice their counting while brushing their pet.
6. Let older children be in charge of making sure your pet’s water bowl stays clean and full.
7. Have your preschooler run around the living room with a dryer sheet. Let them “race” to see how much pet hair they can pick up in a set amount of time. (Dryer sheets are a pet owner’s best friend, trust me on this.)
And children of all ages can love Boomer. They can pet him and snuggle with him and share a spot at the end of their bed. They can be blessed with someone to talk to who will never judge them, never laugh at them, and who happens to be just as afraid of thunderstorms as they are.
Thanks, Jennifer. I get the feeling that deciding to get a pet is like deciding to get pregnant: You do all the prep work that you can, you commit to taking care of this creature you will bring into your life, and then you leap into a lifelong relationship that will make you happy, crazy, and busy all at the same time! Would anyone agree?