I’m sure your kids have been bugging you for a pet since they began to talk. Even my daughter, growing up in a house with three cats, expressed her desire for a dog with her first word, “woof.” Like any sensible parent, your answer to their requests has been of the “hell no” variety. And you’re right, pets are an added expense. You live in the city, probably in less space then you need, so how can you justify having a pet? You feel like raising a dog in the city is cruel and unusual. And cats just beget cats and you don’t want to become one of those crazy three-cat households, ‘cause those people are nuts. The reality is this: skip two take-out sushi orders a month and you’ve covered the majority of your pet expenses. Dogs (and cats) much prefer tiny apartments with loving people to shelters. You are a New Yorker, so by default you are already neurotic and mildly crazy, embrace it and get your self a squad of kitty cats. Aren’t convinced? Here are the reasons your kid Needs a pet. In cable news terms, Is Your Child Suffering Because You Don’t Have a Pet? Yup.
1. Kids raised with pets (I’m talking real pets, cats and dogs, nothing that needs to be in a cage all day. To those caged pets we will always be a predator first and a caregiver second. Us and our creepy forward-facing eyes) are less likely to develop allergies because of their sustained exposure to dander. And not just pet allergies, but outdoor allergies and asthma as well.
2. Your kids are right when they say they will learn to be more responsible, but they will also better understand consequences to shirking that responsibility. Just make sure that if they forget to walk the dog that they are the ones cleaning the pee off the rug (weirdly white wine is great for this).
3. We’ve all heard how petting an animal can reduce stress, and who is more stressed than our over-scheduled, tightly wound, test-prepped little New Yorkers. And they can’t even have a cocktail. So at least get them a cat. And then when the house is in tornado-mode you can all sit down with Mr. Paws and ease your anxiety (this is especially true for kids with special needs).
4. Build confidence and persistence. These two traits are considered by experts like Paul Tough to be keys to success in life. Learning to handle a dog on a leash or having the persistence to teach it a new trick, build these traits. And becoming an expert on your pet, both their personality and their needs, gives your kid a whole new area of expertise, one that can help them connect to new people.
5. Owning a dog encourages your kids to get off their duffs and get outside. The dog doesn’t care what the weather is, well maybe they do, but they really gotta pee so they are going out and their taking your kid with them (and you too). Even playing with a cat, dragging around a string and tossing super balls down the hall way, can get your kids moving.
Maybe these reasons don’t feel compelling, then there is that little issue that studies have shown that kids with pets have improved impulse-control, social skills and self esteem. Plus, pet owners live longer, that’s a tidbit to help convince your spouse. Don’t worry, it is totally worth it. Just buy a really good vacuum cleaner.
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Sarah Moriarty is a writer, editor and adjunct professor. Sarah’s writing has appeared in such hallowed places as her blog, her mother’s email inbox, the backs of Value Pack envelopes and a waist-high stack of mole skin journals. In addition, Sarah has contributed to F’Dinparkslope.com, WhattoExpect.com and edited fiction for Lost Magazine. An excerpt from Sarah’s novel, The Rusticators, is forthcoming in The Brooklyn Writers Space 2013/2014 anthology, The Reader. A resident of Brooklyn for the last eleven years, Sarah lives with her husband, daughter and a dwindling population of cats. Check out more of Sarah’s work at sarahmoriarty.com.