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February 2006
- Eliot Kaplan, DVM -
I truly believe that it can be very beneficial for children to have pets in the household. Pets can teach kids about responsibility, empathy for other living things, and can give children lessons in social interactions that they can find useful for the rest of their lives. For instance, having a pet around like a dog or cat or even a mouse or rat can demonstrate that when you treat others with kindness and compassion, it comes back to you in kind. In turn, the pets will often derive benefits from the kids. A child can be the guardian of the pet as well as the playmate of the pet.
Unfortunately, I often see the ugly side of children and pets when it turns into a bad combination. Either I might be euthanizing (putting to sleep) a dog because it bit a child, or I could be repairing the broken leg of a kitten that was broken by a child. Worst yet, I have seen situations in which the actions of the child have lead to the death of the pet through torture (smothering, beating, drowning, etc). Many times it is accidental, but sometimes it is malicious. But in all cases, it has been preventable.
The simple rule of thumb to prevent most of these disasters is for parents to not allow pets to be with children under 9 years of age without the direct supervision of an adult or at least a responsible teen. Young children often do not show the judgment necessary to allow them to safely be alone with a pet. For instance, I saw a small poodle with a broken neck the other day because a 5-year-old child decided that the little dog could fly. It was a very agile dog, able to leap up 5 feet or higher. The child reasoned that the dog must be able to fly since he could jump so high. The child threw the dog off the second story balcony of a house to test the theory. The child's father was quick to blame the little boy. But in actuality, it was the father who was to blame. He failed the boy and the dog by leaving them alone together while he was watching the football game downstairs.
As a parent, if you are not able to provide adequate supervision for the child and pet, then PLEASE do not acquire the pet until the child is older. It could prevent a heartbreaking experience for the whole family. |
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