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Is Your Family Ready for a Pet?

by North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center | Apr 11, 2019 | Blog

Today is National Pet Day, but in reality, for the estimated 65% of U.S. households that own a pet (nearly 80 million homes), every day is Pet Day!

The benefits of having a pet in the family are enormous, impacting physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Dog owners, in particular, reap health rewards when they walk and play with their favorite four-legged family members. But research shows that interactions with any type of pet reduce stress and increase the production of “feel good” hormones such as oxytocin.

All kids, whether or not they have mental health challenges, benefit from their relationships with their pets, but introducing pets into therapeutic settings is especially powerful, helping children feel loved, teaching them skills to self-soothe and much more. (To read more about the benefits of pet therapy, click on our blog from May 2018.)

If you are considering bringing a pet into your family, it’s important to be sure you and your children are ready to take on the responsibility of pet ownership. Here are seven factors to consider:

Kids will promise the moon and stars to get a pet, but as the adult, you are likely going to be the one who does most of the caretaking, so make sure you are ready for the responsibility.
Caring for pets—especially dogs and cats—can be an expensive proposition, with estimates running from $500 per year to well over $1,000. Click here to find the results of a survey on the cost of owning various pets.
Do you have little ones in the house? Children under three or four need to be supervised with pets at all times, since they may be impulsive and risk harming the pet or themselves.
When choosing a pet, do your research. The pet should be a good match for your lifestyle. For example, if you live in an apartment, you might want to avoid getting a highly active dog (regardless of size). But if you have a fenced-in yard and enjoy tossing the ball around, an energetic pup may be exactly the right fit.
Are you out of the house for a large part of the day? Pets require care and love, so if you and your family aren’t home most of the time, a dog or even cat might not be the right pet for you.
Do your kids have asthma or other allergies? Despite the hype, there really are no allergy-free cats or dogs—but there are some breeds that are less allergenic than others. Ask your vet for some suggestions.
Please adopt from a shelter and save a life. If you decide that you want a specific breed or your heart is set on the type of dog you had as a kid, consider a rescue or shelter pet. Read more shelter adoption tips here.