"The dog was created
specially for children. He is the god of frolic."
Contributing to a pet's care can build a child's self esteem and teach empathy for others. *** "What Pets Teach Children" 1) Love - through caring and feeling appreciation (sometimes indirectly), knowing efforts make a difference. 2) Pride In A Job Well Done - from accepting and meeting responsibilities. 3) "Parenting Skills" - by learning what is best fo rthe pet and unselfishly gaining pleasure from knowing the animal feels good, safe and secure. 4) Understanding - from gaining knowledge and empathy for another life and accepting its differences and limitations. Raising a child with a companion can be beneficial for the entire family. Children taught to care for pets learn how to share and deal with responsibilities. Pets improve a child's ability to relate sensitively to others; through learning their efforts matter, children often become more generous. Caring for a pet requires understanding of how another life feels; it teaches children to be empathetic and to look at other's perspectives and not just their own. As children mature, these relationship skills may assist them in dealing with other people, not just animals. Parents of pet-bonded youngsters may be reassured knowing their children have at least one true-blue friend in the world to rely on. During lonely times, when feeling misunderstood or treated unfairly (which is much of the time during adolescence!), it's nice to know children have trusting companions to turn to that won't judge them, criticize their clothes, talk about hem behind their backs, boss them around or reveal any of the their secrets. ***
"Dogs can help kids feel better about themselves..."ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A lick in the face with a big wet tongue can enhance a child's self-esteem and sense of empathy. That's one of the lessons to be learned from a University of New Mexico doctoral dissertation inspired by a dog named Norton. Robert Bierer, 34, who got his Ph.D. in family studies from the College of Education this month, says his emotional bond with Norton, his 10-year-old Australian shepherd, helped him decide how to focus his research. The result: a 138-page dissertation on "The Relationship Between Pet Bonding, Self-Esteem, and Empathy in Preadolescents." Bierer, a counselor at Whittier Elementary School, studied previous scholarly work in the field of human-animal interactions. His contribution to the field has been to concentrate on a particular animal (dogs) and a particular age group (children 10 to 12). "People have known for years that dogs are good medicine for children," Bierer said. "What I found is that preadolescent children with pet dogs have significantly higher self-esteem and empathy than children without dogs." Those higher ratings in self-esteem and empathy hold true whether the dog is "owned" individually by the child or by the entire family. That is, just having a dog in the house makes a difference, regardless of whether the family is headed by a single parent, the mother works outside the home, or the child has siblings. "I never expected the results to be as strong as they are," he said. In a summary of his work, Bierer also notes that "owning the dog earlier or later in the teen years did not have the same impact on sensitivity and emotional development." "I don't feel comfortable saying that owning a dog earlier or later is not helpful," Bierer said. "It's just that this is when it really makes a big difference. A dog doesn't judge whether you're right or wrong. When you're on your way into adolescence -- which is a challenging time -- having that secure base, that unconditional, nonjudgmental relationship with a dog, is very helpful." Using questionnaires designed as psychological research tools, he asked fifth-grade boys and girls at three elementary schools about themselves and their pets. Of the 126 children who answered the questionnaires, 93 had dogs and the rest did not. Visit Dr. Bierer's website (Dogs + Kids = Higher Self Esteem/Empathy) here. ***
"Extracurricular Activities" To offset more mundane pet-related chores, try to get your child involved in fun dog activities. Some ideas include pet therapy programs at nursing homes or hospitals; dog shows for conformation; obedience or Junior handling competition; agility classes; Frisbee or flyball competitions; breed specific activities such as herding, sledding and earth dog tests; pet parades; and visits to school for "show and tell". In your own backyard, children can have backyard dog shows, circuses and plays and performances with the dogs in starring roles and parents as the captive audience.
Always remember, the
BIGGEST CHILD/DOG PROBLEMS come from
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