Greetings! Welcome to the December edition of Dr. Pet Mom’s Delightful Pet Menagerie (DPM) Newsletter. The holiday season is all about family. If your family is starting the new year with a new furry family member, this edition is for you! Learn all about some helpful pet care tips for kids and teens. Enjoy!
Where to Find Your Pet
My mission statement for Dr. Pet Mom is: To create a pet parent community to encourage adoption of rescue and shelter animals, including special needs animals. We want to help pets find their forever homes.
Walking around town, I meet many pet parents who adopted their dog. People are happy to share their pet’s story with me, and I’m always happy to meet a new doggy. I thank them for adopting and giving their furry family member a furrever home.
Many animals in shelters or rescues are senior or special needs who lost their pet parents through no fault of there own. Open your heart and adopt one of these loving animals.
You can find a network of rescues for any dog breed or cat breed. Also visit Petfinder for all types of animals looking for a loving home.
I hope your first choice is to adopt a homeless pet from a local shelter or rescue group.
Pet Care 101: Kids
I found a quote from Igor Stravinsky who said: “My music is best understood by children and animals.” Seems that the trio of music, animals and kids is a natural thing!
And you can teach your children to be good pet care givers.
One source reported a study in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing that revealed pets help children learn cooperation, learn how to share, and feel empathy.
Also, the study recommended involving children with pets at an early age.
The best breeds for young children include Golden Retrievers, Labradors, and Bichon Frises. These breeds have a personality the favors the rowdy nature of kids while being very protective of them.
Toddlers (Ages 2-4)
For your family’s safety, always supervise your toddler’s interaction with pets. Toddlers can learn simple pet care skills:
- Help to fill water and food bowls
- Learn gentle touching and petting
- Understand that animals have feelings
- Practice kindness with their pets
Early Childhood (Ages 5-7)
Your child’s early years are a perfect time to start the baby steps of basic pet care. The early childhood years can teach children:
- Responsibility for another life
- Feeding and grooming skills
- Understanding empathy and responsibility
- Awareness that pets rely on them for love and care
Middle Childhood (Ages 8-11)
Your child’s middle years can further explore their pet care skills. These middle childhood years can teach children:
- Independence and awareness of pet well-being
- More responsible pet care (cleaning up, walking a dog)
- Regular routines of pet care
- Understanding basic pet health care
Pet Care 101: Teens
Adolescence (Ages 12+)
Your adolescent will experience risks and rewards exploring new responsibilities, leadership, and independence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from 2023, around 1 in 5 adolescents ages 12 to 17, experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. 1 in 5 adolescents is approximately 4.5 million teens!
You can give your adolescent some peace of mind when you invite them into your family’s pet care decisions.
Adolescents will learn leadership and responsibility as you help them develop their pet caring skills:
- Watch virtual courses and workshops on basic pet first aid
- Volunteer for a local animal shelter or rescue
- Organize your pet’s care routine (grooming, schedule vet visits, daily exercise)
- Positive training and patience
We already know that pets give us their love in so many ways. Examples include:
- Pets can be like a sibling or a best friend to adolescents
- Pets show their unconditional love, trust, and acceptance
- Pets can protect adolescents against loneliness
- Pets help their emotional well-being
- Pets give adolescents confidence and build self-esteem
You might also consider adopting a special needs pet for your adolescent. On the surface, you might think this special pet is a risky idea. But a focus on routines, clear instructions, and patience will keep everyone happy!
For example, teach your child to use a calm voice to comfort your pet during tough moments. Create a daily/weekly medication checklist and make it your teen’s job to mark off each dose.
Ask your child to use use a Simplenote app on their phone to jot down any changes in your special needs pet (eating less, sneezing, energy level ). These notes will be helpful for the next vet visit.
Closing Thoughts…
Whichever pet you adopt for your children, give them resources to get them started on a pet care plan.
Find downloadable pet care resources for kids, a guide for choosing pets for tweens and teens, and mom and teen tips about pets.
And here’s a link to help you be a great pet parent. Parents can keep pet care fun for their children. Teach children basic commands like “stay” and “sit” for their pet. Short training sessions build confidence in your children and their pet.
Remember to be patient and consistent. Training is a fun process that will improve over time. Teach your children to be patient with themselves and their pet.
Positive reinforcement is a must. Encourage your child to reward their pet for good behavior or learning a new trick or command. Your child will learn patience and kindness.
Thanks for stopping by!
Dr. Pet Mom
🐶 A dog’s love is the purest kind.
🐱 Cats purr their way into our hearts.
🦜 Parrots color the world with personality.
🐴 Mini horses, maximum cuteness.
Happy New Year, Dr. Pet Mom! Thanks for another wonderful and informative column; excellent information!