Having a family pet can be beneficial for children. It can help teach them love, respect, and responsibility. The key for successful pet ownership is adult supervision, age appropriate tasks and open communication regarding expectations and concerns.
Factors to consider:
- the age of the child
- the size, energy, strength and temperament of the pet
- safety for the child and the pet (the location of a walk, presence of other animals that could cause aggressive behavior, hand feeding that could cause nipping, etc.)
- the extent to which the child is able to display empathy for the pet's well being (not chasing it, etc)