The first thing to keep in mind
is that no matter how much your
kid promises that she or he will
be the one to take care of the pet,
some if not all of that responsibility
will fall upon you. That is an inevitable,
inescapable fact. No matter how
good the child's intention is, there
will be some, and perhaps many,
occasions when other things take
priority in their minds and the
pet is unintentionally neglected.
That is, the pet would be neglected
if you were not there to step in,
because somebody has to.
Secondly a child may sincerely
believe that the thing that they
most want in the world is a cute
little black and white kitten, just
like their best friend of the moment
has. The child has really convinced
themselves that they want a kitten,
and a kitten will hold their interest
for ever and ever. And so it would,
until their new best friend of next
week gets a pet lizard which is
just sooo cool. So you will want
to make absolutely sure that the
pet that your child is demanding
will be a long term passion, and
not just a fleeting interest.
It will be a good idea to discuss
the idea with the whole family.
How do they feel about yapping dogs,
hair shedding Persian cats, squawking
parrots? If one of your children
is allowed their very own pet hamster,
will all of the child's siblings
demand a pet of their own too? Does
anybody in the family suffer with
an allergy that would make sharing
their home with a certain animal
intolerable?
Is the type of animal your child
is asking for suitable for your
family, and your family's life style?
A dog that needs two trips to the
park every single day may not be
suitable for a family who is away
from the house all day. And no matter
how much the child promises that
they will walk the dog, there will
be times that they will fail to
do so, (and times that you may not
want them to, after dark for example).
Choosing pets for kids is not easy,
often the type of pet that they
plead for would not be the best
match for their age and experience
with animals.
You should also consider cost.
Not only the cost of acquiring a
pet, but more importantly the cost
of taking care of it. All animals
involve a financial commitment,
food, vet bills, pet care products
etc. You don't want to acquire a
pet for your kid only to find that
you don't have the financial means
to keep it. Small pets for kids
often have less costs involved in
looking after them than larger pets
do.
There are many other things to
consider when choosing pets for
kids, but hopefully this short article
will have prompted you to think
about the fact that buying an animal
for a child, is not the same thing
as buying a kid a cell phone or
a bicycle. Pets are living breathing
creatures, they need care, they
need commitment, they need love.
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About The Author
Larry Chamberlain lives in London,
England, and has had a lifelong
fascination with domestic cats.
His web site - http://www.best-cat-art.com
- provides information about all
that is best in cat art. Also pages
about cat and kitten care and information
on cat breeds and types.
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