Thursday, March 11th, 2010 by Sasha
People get pets for a number of reasons — for companionship, for protection, to add joy and love to your home, or to teach children a lesson in responsibility. When it comes to lessons, however, most people fail to stop and think about what pets might have to teach them. Today Fetch Pet Care blog takes time out to highlight the many ways in which a pet can enrich the life of a child. Among those lessons are communication, empathy, resilience to change, and even confidence:
Children go through life under constant evaluation. They are rated by their behavior, grades and athletic performance. This is especially true of middle school children. Pets have no such expectations; they’re delighted that the child is with them. Pets give children the sense of unconditional acceptance.
The article references a recent study exploring relationships children and their pets. The study, performed by a child psychologist, found that children who owned dogs possessed astonishingly higher levels of self-esteem and empathy than others of their own age, due perhaps in no small part to the unconditional love a pet provides.
Bierer’s conclusions support the growing body of evidence that shows dog ownership has “statistically significant” impact on self-esteem and sensitivity toward others. He noted that teachers, parents and other children have expectations for a child to fulfill. A pet has no such measures of success or failure; acceptance is total, which provides a sense of self worth.
Of course, the article stresses that these are not reasons to run out and purchase a pet before your child (or home or family for that matter) is ready. But when the time is right and your child has found his or her perfect pet, it will be a beautiful thing.
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 by Sasha
Environmental consciousness is a huge concern for people these days, but sometimes that concern doesn’t translate over when thinking about pets. Overly processed foods, chemical-leeching plastic toys, dozens of plastic bags during walks — all of these can leave an unhealthy impact on the Earth and even your pet, but it doesn’t have to be [...]
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 by Sasha
Are you familiar with freekibble.com? If you aren’t, you should be! The site, along with its sister site freekibblekat, is the brainchild of Mimi Ausland, an animal-loving Oregon middle school student who simply wanted to help out her local animal shelter. It’s a simple concept, too — answer a trivia question every day, and the [...]
Monday, March 8th, 2010 by Susie
Three-year-old Victoria has a lot to to be thankful for, especially her Queensland heeler named “Blue”. The toddler wandered away from her home in Cordes Lake and next thing you know she was lost in the woods with only her t-shirt. Her parents soon realized she was missing and the search was on. 15 hours later she was [...]
Friday, March 5th, 2010 by Sasha
If you’re new to the pet-owning business, it can be hard to even know where to begin! Even if you can get your children to agree on a type of pet (let alone the actual pet himself!), how can you be sure it’s the right type of pet to suit your family? Different types of [...]
Friday, March 5th, 2010 by Sasha
The Iditarod is almost here! Kate Kelly provides a brief history. [Huffington Post]
Veterinarians work hard to make anesthesia safer for pets. [San Francisco Chronicle]
Lawyers for pets? In Switzerland, citizens are thinking that might be a good idea. [UK Guardian]
So your dog’s teeth got the best of him — what’s the etiquette after the bite? [Paw [...]
Thursday, March 4th, 2010 by Susie
This St. Patrick’s Day you and your pooch can really show off your Irish pride. While I’m drinking my green beer, my beagle Oliver will be sporting his cool green shamrock collar and maybe even munching on some green dog treats. I found this fun holiday themed collar at 3dirtydawgz.com. The collar starts at $14, is available in medium (14″-22″) and large [...]
Saturday, February 27th, 2010 by Susie
Usually, I write about anything and everything dog-related, but since February is National Cat Health Month, I felt it was a great opportunity to remember our favorite felines and highlight important factors in cat nutrition. A nationwide survey commissioned by 9Lives®, of feline pet parents across the country, found that an overwhelming 94 percent of American cat owners [...]
Thursday, February 25th, 2010 by Susie
Who would have thought there would actually be music that is especially designed to help calm pets. Lisa Spector is co-founder of BioAcoustic Research & Development. They create psychoacoustically-designed classical music that has helped dogs with separation anxiety, sound phobias (thunderstorms, fireworks, etc.) nervousness, fear, excitement with visitors, pre- and post-surgery, and even assisted in euthanasia. Lisa [...]
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 by Susie
I sure hope your pooch has a good sense of humor when you come home with one of these new fetch toys. This is actually a rubber fetch ball with an enormous handlebar moustache on the front that will make it look like Fido is sporting a handlebar moustache! The Moustache Dog Disguise retails for $12.90 at The [...]
