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Benefits of Pets During Childhood

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Having pets during childhood seems to be a rite of passage and most children’s dream. Writing this article takes me back to my own childhood and how I tried to convince my parents of the reasons we needed to get a puppy or a kitten (or a baby sister). So this one is for all you readers out there trying to convince someone to let you get a pet. There are many benefits of having pets during childhood, and we’ll take a look at some of them.

                A pet can be a great companion and friend to children, especially kids on the shy side or who have experienced a move or other life change. A pet is there to listen without judging or laughing at them. A pet is just happy to see them each day. The welcoming affection from a pet can be a powerful mood booster for children and adults alike. When children do have human friends, pets give them a sense of pride — something special to show off to their friends.

“Pets are good protectors. We always know when someone comes near the house, and I like when my dog is in the backyard with my girls when I’m not out there,” Heather Weber, mother of three, says. “They also bring joy! Our dog is super snuggly with the kids. And the vacuum benefit! They really do help with crumbs and food on the floor.” Personally, I appreciate my dog’s company when my husband travels for work and when I’m out on the trails.

Depending on the type of animal you choose for a family pet, it can provide a great reason to get outside and get some exercise. Movement and sunlight improve your mood, and stepping away from a screen — at all ages — can be a good thing. I sought out a dog that would need daily exercise to make sure I didn’t have an excuse to not go for a walk or run. Exercising your pet can be a family activity or, as your kids get older, an independent activity and responsibility. When your kids and pets wear each other out, that equals a big win for you!  When I was growing up, I had rabbits and would take them out in the yard on harnesses with leashes, so this is not limited just to dogs. My kids have also had hermit crabs over the years that they’d build obstacle courses for with blocks and take them outside to explore.

Pets are also a valuable way to learn practical values such as responsibility, ownership and time and money management.

“My first thought on pets is the responsibility Dolly is teaching our kids. It’s their job to feed her and give her water. I also encourage them to let her outside when she needs it. Most of the time I have to remind them, but they are getting better about doing it on their own,” comments Sara Clark, mother of two. Sarah Taylor, mother of three, says, “Our kids have learned over the last few years all the tasks needed to care for our animals so lots of responsibility training. Also, because we have chickens, they’ve learned an entrepreneurial mindset, budgeting income and expenses and researching breeds with desired traits.”

Having a pet in the family also helps kids build their emotional intelligence, cultivating important feelings such as empathy, gentleness, kindness and selflessness. “A huge thing for me is learning how to and how not to treat and touch animals,” says Abbey Fish, mother of five. Kelly Smoak, mother of two, agrees and adds, “My kids understand how to be gentle with animals (and people) from around 12-18 months old because of our very patient dog.”  It is also important to understand that even the best animals can react when poked, prodded or jumped on and to monitor kids and pets when together. That disclaimer being made, I used to joke that I trusted my golden retriever more than my toddler with our new baby. He loved lying down with them during tummy time.

Sadly, pets are also a potent way to introduce and explain death as Taylor says, “We’ve lost animals, so we’ve had to navigate that journey together too and learned healthy strategies to handle the loss.” Pets have a wide range of life spans, but none will live forever. We lost our first golden retriever a couple of years ago, and it was just me and my kids home at the time, so they had to help me with some logistics, but it was a powerful family moment. We watched All Dogs Go to Heaven together while loving on him until the end.

Having a family pet has also been shown to decrease stress simply because pets give you someone to talk to and touch. Also, according to AmericanAcademyOfPediatricsPublications.org, “Children exposed to pets during the first year of life had a lower frequency of allergic rhinitis and asthma when they reached school age compared to children who had no pets, according to a Swedish study.”  Many schools and libraries have therapy dogs to help kids with their social and reading skills. My daughter had a rougher transition to her new school after our last move, so I was grateful that the school office had a therapy dog that she was able to visit and pet during the day to calm and comfort her.

According to SitStayRead.org, “In addition to giving students a fun, positive association with reading and writing, dogs also provide numerous physical and mental health benefits. Studies have shown that interacting with a dog helps to lower blood pressure and cortisol levels. This helps students feel more comfortable, less stressed and better able to focus on their work.”  Along with that, LibraryDogs.com states, “It’s not just the youngest readers who benefit from a gentle therapy dog. Many college campuses welcome therapy dogs to help students ‘shed the stress’ of final exams. Indiana University students can book time in ‘Rent-a-Puppy’ day with puppies from a local animal shelter. Harvard Medical School and Yale Law School both have resident therapy dogs in their libraries.”  Personally, I remember the animal shelter bringing dogs onto our campus during finals week, and it was definitely a highlight for me.

Many couples today start with a pet as their first “baby” because owning a pet seems like a good way to test the waters of responsibility before diving into the chaos of raising children. Understanding the realities of pet ownership besides the basics of feeding, clean water and exercise is important. For instance, there are always vet bills and, when traveling, boarding or dog-sitting fees. We have a separate line item in our budget allocated just for our dog for these reasons. Our first dog was prone to ear infections and ended up having one when all three of my kids had them too. It’s definitely one more thing to worry about on top of mothering small humans. But when my dog is out of the house, I miss him and it doesn’t feel like home. If you’re not ready to commit, simply seek out a reading-to-dogs program or visit or volunteer at your local animal shelter to reap the rewards of being around animals. Older children can also offer to walk neighbors’ dogs or help care for them when they are out of town. Or you can always get a fish.

Movies About Pets:

Books About Pets:

How Do Dinosaurs Choose Their Pets?, How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs? and How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Cats? by Jane Yolen and Just Me and My Puppy by Mercer Mayer for the younger crowd. For older readers, The Puppy Place Series by Ellen Miles, Hotel for Dogs by Lois Duncan, The Shiloh Series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylo and Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.

Stephanie Loux is the mother of Layla, 14, Mason, 12, and Slade, 9, as well as dog mom of her second golden retriever, Sven.

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