Kids and Dogs’ slide show

One of the worst reasons to get a dog is:

I want to get it for my kids, so they can learn about responsibility.

Dog with Kids

If Mom and Dad would like to have a dog, by all means they should have one.

Before the age of 10, children are generally unable to care adequately for a pet because they are not developmentally ready without the help of an adult.

No matter how many lectures you give about how they need to feed / water /walk the dog, the final responsibility will always be yours. A canine is not a teaching tool. The best way to teach responsibility for parents is to provide a good example by taking good care of a dog.

The relationship between a dog and child can be magical, but it’s not automatic.

Kids playing with a dog

Guidelines and advice about owning a dog are available from many sources but this ought to be read by adults rather than children and certainly not by the dog!

Family with Dog