After all, most families out there have a pet, whether it be a cat or a dog or a rabbit or a goldish. A lot of us like to have a domestic animal about the house with us, ones we can play with and look at and fall asleep on the sofa next to. If you’re someone with a young family on hand, it’s a good way to get your children to bond with creatures outside of the home, especially if they’ve not started school yet. If you’re all grown up by this point, you’ve got a cute little animal to all dote on and adore – even as adults we still have that sense of childhood wonder about the four legged friends in our lives!
All pets have their own personalities, and it’s great to be able to get to know and explore those within your own home; you have a lot more fun as a family, and you have another little character to interact with. But the benefits don’t stop there – it’s even been proven that those of us who choose to share our homes with pets live just a little bit longer than those who live without any. So let’s think about these kinds of ideas about pet ownership below: what is it really like to have a pet in the family?
There’s a Little More Responsibility in the Air
Responsibility is a big thing to teach your children, and there’s a lot of adults out there who don’t quite understand the meaning of the word either. But when you’ve got another creature depending entirely on you – and you really are their whole world, at the end of the day – you’re going to have to quickly warm up to being someone with a strong sense of responsibility about them!
For example, if you bring a dog into the house with you, your toddler or young child has the resources to learn about boundaries, and how to pay attention to them. When the dog is sleeping they won’t want to be bothered. When the dog is pawing at their leash that’s hung up on the wall, they need walking. If there’s some bad dog breath coming out of your canine’s mouth, they might need to stop eating so many treats. Boundaries and kindness go hand in hand after all, and a physical example of how to respect them is one of the best ways to encourage that responsible behaviour in your child.
And as the adult, you’re in charge of the delegation of these tasks, and then you’ve got to be sure they’re always done by the end of the day. You’ve got to walk a dog if no one has taken them out, you’ve got to feed them regularly if their bowl is empty, you’ve got to make sure they have fresh water at night if everyone else has already gone to bed etc. Even just thinking about whether your schedule would allow for habits like these is a great way to determine how responsible you are.
The Atmosphere Can Be a Little More Loving
Pets bring out the best in us, there’s no doubt about that. We all have our own little relationships with the dogs and cats and guinea pigs and rabbits in our families, and that’s something that should be celebrated. After all, the atmosphere in your home is a lot more loving and empathetic as a result. If your household hasn’t had the same warmth to it recently, whether it’s because your kids are growing up fast or someone you love and hold dear has gone on holiday for a while, a pet might just be the balancing beam you need.
Pets are always very loving animals, and often enough, any ‘aggressive’ or unfriendly behaviour can be explained easily enough. After all, we need to be patient with the people we love the most, seeing as they’re the ones most likely to take the brunt of the anger and shouting and screaming we might need to get out from time to time. If your dog or your cat seems to act in a similar way, you’ve got to react in the same way you would towards your partner or your child: give them some space, let them come to you when they’re ready, and always be that loving energy they’ll learn they can rely on. They’ll pay you back with this kind of affection tenfold!
You’ve Got a Good Reason to Do a Little More
If you have a pet in the family, you’re going to find yourself becoming a bit more bothered to do things, and go a step further with the activity in your life. After all, pets need just as much exercise as you do, and you can very easily group these two camps together when you’ve got someone else to keep in shape too! If you can’t go for a jog a few times a week for your own sake, do it for the canine companion you’ve got on hand. Even cats can be taken outside (though in relatively small doses), and that guarantees you’re going to be on your feet at least 10% more of the time.
A pet will help you work of those pounds you put on round Christmas, help you keep to New Year’s resolutions, keep you up to speed on your Spring diet, and make sure you’re perfectly in shape for that Summer body loving you want to do this year. And your pet will help to introduce this active concept to your kids as well: they’ll be more likely to jump on their feet and get outside with an impatient dog, or a couple of rats that need exercising in the garden pen. They won’t be so likely to sit in front of a screen all day!
Having a pet in the family can be wondrous, and it is something to put some serious consideration into.
