Most young children dream of having their own pet. The little ones are begging their parents to buy them a dog, a cat, a guinea pig, or a hamster. Owning a pet, a child has a chance to learn patience, caring, regularity, perseverance and, above all, responsibility, because you need to feed, care for him, take him for a walk and clean up after him. In addition, a home animal is a natural biology lesson. The child learns what life, reproduction, suffering, and death are. The pet also affects the emotional sphere of the toddler because the toddler learns what it means to feel compassion, love, understand others, devote his time, attention, and money. However, before you decide to choose an animal for a child, you need to think carefully about your own decision.
Choosing a pet for the child
Choosing an animal for a child can not be a coincidence or a way to satisfy the whims of toddlers. The decision to take a pet home needs careful consideration. It is worth discussing with the child what animal he dreams about. Most often, children want a downy animal for petting and cuddling.
It is worth remembering, however, that the cat and dog quickly get bored of being cuddled and stroked, the tiny rabbit will grow into a big king, and delightful mice may start to smell unpleasant. Not the best scenario for the future is also an overgrown aquarium with fish or plucked parrot in a cage. Before we buy a pet for a child, let’s consider all the pros and cons and try to predict what are the costs of keeping a pet and what animal care looks like.
Most often, parents consider buying their dogs for their toddlers. Can a dog be a child’s best friend? Vets and trainers point out that a large proportion of dogs become attached to humans and are fully dependent on them. Whether a dog will be a good playmate for a toddler depends primarily on his guardians. Before we choose any animal for a child, we need to think about our decision. It is not an art to take a pet home and then give it to a shelter or throw it somewhere in the forest because it does not meet our expectations. We don’t have to consider only the dog or cat. You can also choose hamster, guinea pig, mouse, rat, rabbit, turtle, fish, and even stick insects. In addition to the dog, parents usually consider buying a cat. However, a cat is not a good candidate for a friend for a child, because it is a very mysterious animal that likes to walk its own paths. Cats do not like to be “tired,” and when playing with a child, they can accidentally scratch a toddler.
