|
Choosing The Right Pet
A pet can add excitement and entertainment to your life. Studies
have shown that pet ownership may also be good for your health. Most
health authorities agree that a pet provides benefits to humans of
all ages, including love and compassion.
Kids can learn
important lessons by having a pet, for example:
-
Self-esteem. The sense of accomplishment that comes from
taking care of a pet builds self-image.
-
Compassion. Experts at Purina say kids learn to understand
how people feel by caring for a pet.
-
Language and verbal skills.
Children learn to express themselves and communicate when
talking to a pet.
-
Responsibility.
Caring for a pet teaches them how to take on risks and follow
through with tasks.
-
Life events. The death of a family pet helps kids understand
and cope with basic issues of life.
While pets can
provide a vast range of learning experiences, make sure you are
willing to make a lifetime commitment to your new pet. Finding a pet
that fits into your lifestyle is essential. For most families,
consulting with a
directory of dog breeders and
researching to find the breed best suited for their lifestyle is a
very good decision.
Of course, there are
also families who are so busy and on the run so much, they probably
shouldn't own any breed of dog. For busy
families who spends little time at home, cats are a good choice as
they are independent enough to survive and thrive without human
companionship. All a hamster needs is moderate temperatures and
food/water. You might also want to consider adding an aquarium to
your family until your life settles down. A
good fish tank can add hours of entertainment and require very
little care. Read
more about keeping fish
Pet ownership,
especially dog ownership, is anything but inexpensive. Usually
"free" pets prove to be very expensive. In addition to considering
how much time you can devote to your family's pet, also consider
what the health and maintenance expenses will be.
Deciding not to
get a dog as a pet at this time can also be a wonderful learning
experience for your child. Share with your child the reasons that
make adding a dog to your family at this time a bad idea. You'll be
teaching your child valuable life lessons such as
-
thinking of others (what's best for the potential puppy)
-
the value of waiting for the right time
-
that some decisions are too important to be rushed.
The old adage
that if it's a good idea today, it will still be a good idea
tomorrow is never more true than adding a pet to your family. This
is not a decision to be made in the middle of a store in the mall,
staring down into a set of soulful puppy eyes. Take a deep breath,
go home and RESEARCH your decision. You'll be glad you did.
|
