by Karon Brandt

Created on: August 02, 2011   Last Updated: August 06, 2011

Teaching your child responsibility for caring for a pet can be a valuable lesson for life.

How old are your children? What kind of pet are you considering?

By starting with a pet with simple needs, you can set up your child for success with higher order animals later on.

“Starter pets” like caged or aquarium animals - goldfish, turtles, lizards, hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, Guinea pigs or bunnies - could be suitable for young children. A caged parakeet that requires only seed, water, and daily cage cleaning for survival fascinates some kids. Parents can “test” their children’s maturity level and see how long their interest levels last.

If your child wants a kitten or puppy, you are getting into long-term, more costly, and more time- consuming commitment to an animal. Kittens must be handled gently or they could be seriously injured. Also, the child risks being scratched. A pre-schooler may be able to offer the kitten food and water; he might even be able to help “clean” the litter box by throwing away the dirty contents.

However, ongoing care for living animals requires adult supervision and, sometimes, intervention. Don’t expect or ask for more than your child can handle. The whole “pet responsibility” idea can sour and become a battle of wills.

Reward children for taking care of the pet properly, with lavish praise or something like a tangible star system for performing necessary care. Tasks must be age appropriate. Children should also have some kind of consequences if they “forget” to perform their expected duties or, after a warning, they play much too roughly with the pet. They do not earn a star. Alternatively, a parent might withhold a treat, to show the child that the animal suffered from lack of care (food, water or a clean litter box), too.

Children should be able to understand consequences: A pet can get quite sick if it isn’t taken care of properly. In fact, it can die.

If a puppy is on the child’s wish list, (s)he should be school age and understand the basic requirements for dog care before the family brings home a dog. Parents should discuss the breed and adult size of the wanted dog, and the amount of time, yard space, and training that the dog will need. Children can be included in age-appropriate discussions and could be allowed to pick a pup (or full-grown dog) within the parents’ guidelines.

Pups require gentle handling, daily food and water, grooming,

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