Here are some benefits to adding a pet to your family:
Pets give unconditional love. They are non-judgmental, and, especially for an only child, introvert and shy children, or children who have sibling rivalry or emotional distress, a pet gives them someone to talk to. A pet can comfort, give support, and listen to a child’s troubles without judgment or consequence. And, when playing, a pet can become your child’s partner and best buddy. Pets are one of the best companions your child can have.
A pet can teach a child that he doesn’t have to take out his anger or fear on others. Pets teach children to be caring and gentle towards the needs of other living beings. Some children become bullies while growing up and if they don’t have a safe place to share their truest emotions, they may project those emotions onto other children. Because a pet will love your child no matter what he says, a pet gives him a confidant, a safe place in which to verbally pour out his fears and his anger.
A pet can teach empathy towards themselves and others. Caring for a pet that is so dependent on you teaches empathy. Your child learns to read your pet’s needs: is he hungry? Does he need to go outside? Maybe sometimes the pet is scared of the wind, rain or loud noise that needs to be comforted. Children learn to take care of them in such situations. Moreover, empathy is the one skill that can be taught and a skill many lack.
A pet can teach confidence and responsibility. Children can gain confidence by having the responsibility of caring for a pet. Children as young as three years old can manage simple tasks such as filling the pet’s water and food bowls. As your child gets older, he can groom and walk the pet.
Animals can help socialise children and increase verbal skills. You’ve likely seen even little kids who are still learning to talk attempting to chatter away with pets. In this way, pets give not only social and emotional support but also cognitive language skill support to children. A pet’s simple presence provides verbal stimulus to help your child practice talking and socialising with another being.
Pets (and animals in general) can be very therapeutic for children. Studies have shown how pets can help lower blood pressure, speed up recovery time, and reduce stress and anxiety. We see this with troubled children and Autistic children, when they are with animals they can immediately relate because they sense the animals are unconditional in their love and affection.
Looking for an opportunity to teach your child an important life lesson? Taking care of a living being is different than being responsible for unloading the dishwasher. From walking, bathing, feeding, and picking up after- these are all tasks that your child could do for the household pet.
Recent studies in paediatric health have concluded that children who lived with pets (but especially dogs) during their first year of life actually had a better immune system than those who did not. They believe that exposure to dogs may have positively boosted the maturation of their immune system during infancy. In addition, when they did fall ill, they needed a shorter course of antibiotics compared to the children who did not live with pets.
Children with pets have been proven to have better Emotional Intelligence. Everyone has heard of IQ, but have you thought about improving your child’s EQ (or emotional intelligence)? Owning a dog allows them to practice these skills and improves their emotional intelligence over time.
Caring for another life will require your child to become a more compassionate individual. Feeding or walking them, at times they may have other things they would rather be doing, will mean that they have to step outside of themselves, and practice being selfless. A teacher who participated in a study about classroom pets said, “Having pets is an INVALUABLE aid for helping the children gain pride, caring, and empathy for the needs of themselves and others”.
In addition, caring for a pet builds a child’s self-esteem. Accomplishing small tasks (such as filling up their water dish, feeding them on time, taking them for a walk, giving them playtime) will help them feel like they are competent and will also give them a sense of accomplishment.
Research studies have found that children with dogs in the home had reduced anxiety levels and reduced amount of perceived stress. They believe that kids who interact with dogs have increased levels of oxytocin released to their brain. In short, DOGS = HAPPINESS (but you probably already knew that).
