Help Me Make the Case

Studies report that children who live in homes in which a pet is considered a member of the family are more empathetic than children in homes without pets.

This could be due to a variety of reasons:

Children see animals as peers. They can identify better with animals than human beings. Animal psychology is very simple. With animals, what you see is what you get. Humans are not as direct. We need to develop talent to read and interpret "body language." Children can read an animal's body language.

As children get older, their ability to empathize with animals will carry over into their experiences with people.

Research is revealing that older pets have a positive impact in many other ways, as well. Robert Poresky, associate professor of Family Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University, is one of dozens of researchers who are examining the impact of having a pet in the home. His findings include evidence that children who are involved with and attached to pets develop higher levels of empathy, learn responsibility earlier, and may even have higher IQ scores than children who don't have pets.

"In one study, we found that 3- and 4-year-olds with pets were better able to understand the feelings of other children than those without pets," Poresky says. He also says there are life lessons to be learned from taking responsibility for a pet. "A dog or cat won't always do what the child wants them to do, and that can be very important," he says. "This helps kids learn that there are other perspectives and ways of looking at things."

It's not just having a pet in the home that benefits kids, Poresky says. It's the involvement and time the child spends with a pet. "The more they do together, the greater the positive impact on a child's life," he says.

MANHATTAN -- Having a friendly cat or dog around the house can do a lot more than provide a little fun and enjoyment for children, a sociologist at Kansas State University has concluded.

The time-honored family dog, for instance, might also be a factor that can boost a child's overall IQ scores, reports Bob Poresky, associate professor of family studies and human services at KSU.

"The key thing here is not just having the pet, but the child's relationship with the pet," Poresky said. "Generally, we see some increases in IQ scores and other measures of cognitive functioning in children who have a relationship with a pet."

Poresky's conclusions are based on research conducted among 88 Manhattan-area households during the past five years. The study included questionnaires and in-home visits with parents of young children ranging from 3 to 6 years of age, Poresky said recently.

Earlier this year, Poresky's conclusions were published in an issue of Anthro Zoos, a veterinarians' journal that focuses on how animals interact with human companions.

Poresky is quick to point out that simply having a cat or dog in the home will have little or no effect on the child's development.

"It's the involvement and time the child spends with the pet companion that is important," Poresky said. "The more children interact with a pet, the greater the impact on the child's development."

Poresky also cautions that not even the best relationship between pet and child will replace a far more powerful factor that determines human intellectual development -- the overall quality of a child's home environment.

"By that we mean the extent to which the home environment encourages intellectual development," Poresky said. "But one of the things an animal does with the child is to help give the child an understanding of the world from the pet's viewpoint. That factor may stimulate cognitive development, which in turn can boost IQ scores."

In Poresky's test sample of Manhattan youngsters, children in homes with pets had IQ scores that averaged five points higher than youngsters living in households with no pets, primarily dogs and cats, Poresky said.

"We're talking about pets that respond to kids," Poresky said. "And we found that the stronger the relationship between pet and kid, the probability goes up for higher IQ scores."

Parents bear the major responsibility to select a pet that will be suitable for small children, Poresky says.

"We found that people tend to interact more with dogs and cats, with dogs being more social overall than cats," Poresky said. "Generally, the best pet is the one that responds to people -- the ones that come to you when you're sad, and sort of snuggle up and say, 'Hey, it's OK.' This is the type of pet who provides reassurance to humans."

Aside from the probable benefit of higher IQ scores for children who are in charge of a pet, Poresky's data suggests another benefit -- a key impact on the development of stronger empathetic responses for children with dogs and cats.

"One of the things a companion animal does for a child is to increase the child's understanding from the animal's viewpoint," Poresky said. "It's important for children to learn to see the world from viewpoints other than their own. If the child knows that he's got to walk the dog every day, even if the child doesn't always want to, that's an important lesson to learn."

In addition to giving IQ tests to his sample group of children, Poresky's research also involved interviewing parents about the child's on-going relationship with the companion animal.

"We wanted to know how much time does the child spend ... with the animal, and does the child touch and care for the animal's basic needs," Poresky said. "We also wanted to know if the animal sleeps in the same bed with the child, and does the animal usually travel with the child."

Poresky said one of the strongest roles a pet fills for a child is to serve as a sounding board for the child, much like having another human in the household to talk to.

"That's what parents told us," Poresky said, "that the kids frequently use the pet for listening to the kids' problems."

Summary: What Animals Have to Offer

• Nonjudgmental, unconditional love and affection
• Opportunity for touch: important for all age groups
• Chance for laughter and play
• Opportunity for development
• Outlet for nurturing (makes us feel needed)
• Enhancement of self-esteem and emotional security
• Link to the natural world

There are plenty of adult [purebreds] who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.

When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.

When we went to the shelter/rescue center, the dog we
ultimately chose, adopted US, not the other way around.
He just followed me around and sat next to me, when I paused.

Interesting article with good info about which breeds are a good idea for kids. (Cavalier King Charles included, with an emphasis on good for only children...)

Shelter dog people, does this look good?

I'm currently going towards timber's first suggestion -- a young shelter dog.

The stuff about fostering makes a difference to me, (was that flushd?) I had been imagining older puppies/ young dogs languishing in cages without much socialization.

This site is interesting:

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbreeds/index.html

It's a sobering look at the downsides of various breeds as well as the upsides, and strikes me as being accurate if a bit alarmist. At any rate, the author's emphasis on a puppy being potential while an adult/ young dog is already there resonates with me.

Quote:

There are plenty of adult [purebreds] who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.

When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.

Plus, in terms of making the case, a dog with some training is easier than a puppy. I'm seeing many dogs at local shelters that are housetrained, already fixed, etc.

E.G. (my husband) really, really doesn't want a dog.

I think hamsters and gerbils and fish and such are fine but are really pale substitutes for a cat or a dog. And E.G. isn't that much happier about any of them, anyway.

1.) Puppy or adult shelter dog?

I am reflexively against getting an adult dog because a child is involved and one can't know the whole history of an adult dog and why it is at the shelter. I can't stand the thought of sozlet grabbing a hairbrush, say, and the dog lunging at her because it had been beaten with a hairbrush. Can anyone help me with my thinking there?

However, I do like the idea of getting a puppy, too, because a) they're so darn cute!! and b) you can raise them in a certain way and help shape a certain kind of dog. (Sweet, loving, calm, etc.)

2.) What breed/ cross of breeds?