Teaching Children About Animals

Children and animals seem to be drawn to one another. The toddler who runs up to every dog he or she sees is a familiar problem to both parents and dog owners.

Children can develop many good qualities from owning pets: responsibility, compassion, kindness, discipline, confidence, altruism. However, they can also learn cruelty, selfishness, arrogance and fear. It is interesting to note that research shows a link between adult criminal behaviour and childhood abuse of animals.

There are some basic understandings about animals that children need to be taught.

Feelings

First of all, animals have feelings too. Animals are not little people and, as far as we know, they do not experience human emotions, but that does not mean they do not feel. Since scientists started seriously studying animal behaviour, they have found increasing evidence that animals are more complicated than humans have given them credit for.

For the young child, a simple approach is best. How would you like it if someone picked you up by the ears? Or poked you in the eye, or held you upside down, or kept waking you up. The importance of parental supervision cannot be overemphasized. Quite simply, young children should not be left alone with pets, for the protection of both.

Basic Needs

Secondly, animals have the same basic needs that people do. They need food, water, shelter, and exercise appropriate to their species, age, size, and activity level. Allowing a child to feed the family pet can develop caring attitudes, but putting all responsibility on the child's shoulders can result in a neglected pet and a child with guilt feelings. Responsibility for the pet is best shared by the whole family.

Family Members

This brings us to the third point. Pets are members of the family. You might discuss with your children the roles played by different family members (mother, father, sister, cousin, grandfather, aunt, etc.), including the family pet. If you do not have pets, use the example of other families who do. Include your pets in as many family activities as possible. If you do have to leave a pet at home, involve the children in making arrangements for its care.

Share the World

Finally, people share the world with animals. We have a responsibility not only to look after the animals who live with us (pets) and live for us (livestock) but also to respect the lives of wild animals. Encourage your children to observe nature but not to disturb it. It is far better to watch a tadpole develop into a frog by frequent quiet visits to his pond, than to take the tadpole home in a jar.

©2000 Elizabeth Gredley and animalINK
All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author. Permission is granted to reprint on a non profit web site provided this copyright notice and link to www.animalink.ab.ca remain intact.