This month we adopted a rescue dog! By having this new being in the house, I am reminded of the wisdom, joy, heartaches, and occasional magic of having pets as a child. Based on my childhood experience, and becoming both a parent and a grandparent, I would, if feasible, highly recommend pet ownership for a child. I understand that pet ownership may not be right for every child, or every household …. or every pet!
I believe the potential benefits of pet ownership for a child are many, including lessons in responsibility, the experience of bonding, the potential for learning about loss and grief, and the indelible memories of what may remain some of the clearest memories an adult has of their childhood. Some of my childhood memories of capturing frogs and snakes and trying impossibly to feed them and keep them alive remain amazingly vivid for me. And, of course, there is the penultimate pet experience of adopting a rescue animal or getting a parrot or hamster or rabbit which allows a child to become emotionally invested in the health, well being, and happiness of their pet over an extended period of time. This helps children experience empathy and joy, as well as an awareness that good health and longevity requires attention, commitment and perhaps partnering with a parent.
I still vividly remember my first dog (it was actually the family dog and her name was Princess). She was a big, beautiful German Shepherd. The time frame was mid to late 1950s (wow 65 years ago!!). I shared Princess with my older brother and younger sister. Still later came two more sisters, but Princess was basically my brother’s and my dog. Every school day when the bus came to pick us up at our bus stop, the bus driver Carlos allowed me, my brother AND Princess on the bus to ride to school!
Ghost Rider Sitting
We would then complete the bus route picking up more kids and eventually when the bus was full, we would get let out at the elementary school. All except Princess! After Carlos dropped us off he would then return Princess on an empty school bus back to my house as though she were a school kid returning home for the day! My brother, me, Carlos and Princess would repeat this routine five days per week. It still remains a vivid, happy, and amazing story from my childhood even today.
Obviously the 1950s were very different from the current decade of the 2020s. The same routine today would have probably broken a hundred laws that are currently on the books. Carlos might have lost his job, the school bus company might have been sued, and my parents would certainly have been visited by social workers for child endangerment. But, 65 years later both my brother and I can still recall every detail of our relationship with Princess. For Princess, it was her job to watch all the neighborhood kids.
I have four children and five grandchildren and for most of my adult life I have had dogs, and so have my children and grandchildren. Just saying their dog names – Romeo, Middles, Gilley, Ghostrider, Landon, Duncan, Faith, Ranger and Ivy puts a smile on my face. I honestly feel that pets provide something that only a sentient being can offer a child. I highly recommend trying to make space physically, mentally and emotionally for your child to experience the responsibility of being a partner in pet ownership.