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Picking a Pet
4 Tips to Help You Prepare and Select Your New Family Member
By April E. Clark
Preparing children for their new furry or finned housemate is as important as selecting the right pet. Maturity, of both the children and the animal, is one factor that can help parents decide when the time is right for a family pet. "Some children are more mature at 5 than others and some larger breeds of dogs tend to mature later," Peterson says. "Unintentional scenarios can occur when a child doesn't know how to read the animal's signs or is doing something inhumane. Think about how many adults are bitten because they did not know how to read the signs."
Both Peterson and Dr. Beaver concur that supervision should be mandatory with young children and animals. "You always want to make sure an animal does not hurt a child so they need to be watched when together," Dr. Beaver says. "If you feel your child is not mature enough for a dog or cat, there are always fish or pocket pets such as guinea pigs and hamsters."
Keeping in mind the nation's stray animal overpopulation, many parents find that adopting can be reason alone to own a pet. Shelters such as the Humane Society help foster a safe and loving relationship with pets before adoption and teach children to be responsible owners. "We encourage shelters first for new pets because the staff and volunteers help families get to know the pets before adoption," Peterson says. "Families know that the shelter will be there when problems arise."
