This is a guest post from BarkFriend.com
Just imagine this scene in a suburban neighbourhood. A boy and girl, siblings, 10 and 8 years old respectively have leashes in hand leading to their pet dogs that they are taking along for their daily stroll through the streets and into the park.
The activity that they’re doing with their canines is a vital life lesson that will stay with them their whole life. It is taking responsibility for the upkeep and sustenance of other breathing beings with needs who had the destiny to be under their care.
Children ask for a pet
They see their friends and neighbours having pet dogs and enjoying quality time with them. They see only the surface. They don’t realise the responsibilities and obligations that go with having pet dogs can take a toll on their patience and resourcefulness.
But still, thinking these dogs are cute, they ask their parents for their own pet dogs. Parents with good intentions and the awareness that pets could be great for their kids because they can take a lot of time out for them away from digital devices…they oblige.
Usually, it’s with the conditions that the kids asked for the dogs and they should take responsibility for their daily needs. The kids, of course, say Yes Yes Yes, Mom Dad we can do it. Please give them to us, please!
So be it. Here we go.
Choosing a dog for your family
It is well recommended that the pet dogs that you seek come from reputable dog breeders and from shelters. With the professional staff that they have, their vaccination would have been complete by the time they arrive at your home. And they would have been trained a bit with basic dog signals for obedience.
It is important that you as parents are also knowledgeable about the persistent allergies and health conditions of your children and also yours and your spouse that could present a conflict with the continuing care and upkeep of the dogs.
Allergies are usually persistent and would reveal themselves if the dogs are species that usually shed their fur and have long to medium fur. If this was the case, go for dogs that are as hairless as possible and wouldn’t let you and your kids visit the doctor more often because of allergies.
Kids are kids and they are usually fragile and are prone to being tripped or sludged in the mud because of garden play. Wouldn’t you like dogs for them that complement this high energy for play and also at the same are gentle to them?
Yes, there are dogs which have the typical traits identified with their species that are perfect for children. Like being playful and always have the tendency to look for the kids and be by their sides all the time. The children appreciate these traits as well as characteristics of being loyal and being non-aggressive to them.
Usually, the irony is that the large and medium-size dogs are the ones that are more gentle with kids and have the energy to cope up with them.
But small breeds also have this nice and convenient trait of always wanting to be inside the house, just being content being beside the children while they’re doing their tasks. They just roll around all day and have their fur and bellies cuddled. And they don’t actually have the energy like the larger breeds to take a stroll every day. And some kids like that because they sometimes cannot keep up with the demands of a daily walk. Maybe a stroll to the park twice a week will do, for some kids.
The point is, having pet dogs do make kids more responsible because they will, at one point in the day, ask themselves, if the dogs have eaten. Kids have this innate conscience-stricken minds that grieve when they realise that their pets have not had their daily feeding yet.
This has got some parallelism to do with, if you imagine that these kids, 10 and 8 years old, have younger siblings, maybe 4 and 3 years old. Let’s imagine, again this time, they’re not younger siblings, but 2 pet dogs with needs and wants.
And the parents are very busy and they can’t be in the house for several hours a day. So the upkeep and care for the dogs rely on the initiative of the two elder children. The daily feeding, the occasional bathing, the daily or 3 to 4 times stroll to the park, the playtime with the dogs, etc.
Having pet dogs teach kids time management. They need to balance their own needs and wants with the needs and wants of their pet dogs. They asked for these dogs. Now reality sets in because of the tasks involved.
But, as parents, it’s a good thing for your kids, having pet dogs, don’t you think? These furry creatures are the ones who teach them life lessons. And also a lot of time away from those addictive digital devices.
Want to find the right dog breed for your family? Bark Friend has got you covered, tons of guides and information on various dog breeds (mixed and pure).
