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Tuesday, March 13, 2007
When is it time to bring a pet into the family?
How important are pets in growing up?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Growing up, I lived on a small farm with a few pet horses and a couple of dogs that bedded down each night in the barn. I always imagined my own children would one day enjoy the same thrill of running down a grassy hill with their dogs a la the Ingalls girls on “Little House on the Prairie”.
So when we brought home a sweet-tempered English Setter a few years ago, I could almost hear the theme song to Little House playing as we pulled up to our metro Atlanta abode. Pretty soon, though, I realized I wasn’t ready for a pet in the suburban sense of the word.
With two young girls and a husband who worked and attended law school at night, all of the dog duties fell upon increasingly-pregnant me. Our fenced ½-acre backyard didn’t satisfy a setter’s need for adventure, and I found it more and more difficult to waddle after a bird dog that could sense every fine-feathered friend in a two-mile radius.
It became obvious to me that we could not - at that time - juggle the many balls we had in the air and give our pet the love and care she deserved. Though my husband agreed and found a good home for her, he and the girls were very upset when the day came to say good-bye. I have felt guilty ever since.
My oldest is now asking for another dog. I have to admit I am torn. I think pets are an important part of childhood, but the heartache from our last “pet experience” is still fresh in my mind. I don’t know that our situation has changed all that much. My husband is out of school and the older girls could now take on some of the pet responsibilities, but our schedules are more hectic than three years ago.
What are your thoughts on pets and children? If you grew up without pets (or with pets that didn’t live in your house), how did you adjust to bringing a four-legged friend into your home? Is it better to have pets before you have children, or is there a good age to introduce pets to your kids?
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