Children love dogs, I mean what’s not to love, they are playful, happy to see you, make you laugh and are always willing to please. But there is more to owning a pet than just that. A dog or pet teaches a child responsibility among many other life lessons. I myself had several pets growing up and besides from the countless fond memories, I had to walk them, feed them, play with them and take care of them as an adult will do with a child.
At the time I did not realize I was learning time management, by fitting in Snowball’s walks along with my homework, soccer practice and everything else I had to do in the afternoon. I learned responsibility by making sure my dog didn’t eat anything he wasn’t supposed to or hadn’t wandered off into places he should not. Most of all, I learned how to care for others and learned compassion for all animals. Snowball became more than a pet, he was my best friend, and this was something no video game console or any tablet computer could have replaced.
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Best of all, each of the pets I have ever had was a shelter animal, so not only did I gain a friend out of each pet, but I also saved a life as well. I also developed so much compassion for stray animals from this as well, knowing that each one of those stray cats and dogs is a loving animal with so much to give but need a home, just like my Snowball was at one point. Therefore, I strongly believe an adopted dog or cat is something everyone person should get to experience in their life, especially as a child.
Adopting an animal is a very big responsibility, so you “mom and dad” must be able to oversee everything. These animals are living creatures so when you get one for the kids, remember they are now part of the family. This new family member will require food, toys, veterinarian visits and much more. Its better off not adopting at all if the animals will be ill-treated and must be placed into the shelter again. This will cause poor animal even more emotional scars than they already have.
Img source: theacademyofpetcareers.com
Overall, there is so much to gain from the wonderful act of adopting a dog or cat. It also does not matter if you live in a big house or small apartment, you can bet the shelter has pets to suit. You can find all breeds and sizes of dogs at the shelters, from little Pomeranians to German shepherds, which are one of the fastest dogs in the world. As a child my dog was my best friend, we played together, discovered together, learned together. It was a great experience, one that could not have been replaced by any toy. At times it was tough, it wasn’t every day I wanted to take Snowball for his walk but all those things taught me discipline.
