Choosing a Family Pet

When you have kids, they can often drive you crazy by hounding for a dog or a cat. Some parents are reluctant to give their child a pet due to fear of the animal harming the child being forefront in their minds. There are many dog and cat breeds that you can have in your home that will do really well for you and your family—even with small children. There are, of course, some precautions to make.

First, we will look at dog breeds. There are certain dog breeds that demand respect and kids often don’t have those feelings. Most children do not understand that pulling on the pet’s tail or stroking too roughly can not only harm the animal, but make it resentful of the child. You can of course work with your child to help him develop proper pet-handling behavior, but you should first consider starting out with a pet breed that is best for children. For instance, the following dog breeds are well-known for being especially good with children: St. Bernards, Golden and Labrador Retrievers, Great Danes, German Shepherds, Poodles, Siberian Huskies, and Mastiffs. While you do have to be careful about their size and make sure they are socialized and housetrained, they make wonderful pets. They are very affectionate and tend to exercise care and protectiveness of the children. These dog breeds will also stand up to a certain amount of abuse. If the child pulls on the tail or accidentally falls into them they are more likely to be worried and protective rather than distasteful or aggressive. You do have to teach your kid to be respectful, but generally these dogs as pets will offer a wonderful family addition.

In general, most cats are going to have issues with children. With cats, who are not as easy to train, you will find they tend to nip or bite a child who pulls their ears/tail or hurts them in any way. It is the cat’s way of showing anger. Cats by nature tend to choose one owner. This owner usually showers them with affection and treats them properly. If you do introduce a cat into your household, you should make sure your children are old enough to understand and exercise the proper treatment of it. Typically you want a child no younger than three dealing with any pet, especially cats. At this age the kid is old enough to understand right from wrong and deal with the pain if the cat bites them for a good reason. Some cats you may want in your home include the Abyssinian, American bobtail, American shorthair, Balinese, Birman, Bombay, Burmese, Manx, Persian, and Siberian. Typically you should not have a Siamese cat around children, as they tend to be very moody and are often one who demands respect. When you consider getting a pet for your child, it is important to realize that not all pets are great for a home.