Having a pet is a great way to help children learn empathy and responsibility. Although adding a pet to your family is a warm and fuzzy experience, keep in mind that you may be doing most of the cleaning, feeding, and grooming care. So, the real question is “Are you ready for a pet?
Regardless of the time and energy it takes to be a pet “parent”, having a pet can be a wonderful, rewarding experience. Here are just a few fab things about including a critter in your family:
- Pets make loyal, lovable friends
- Pets teach you how to take care of others
- Pets teach you about responsibility
- A pet can help you learn about animals
- Playing with pets can make you feel happy
- Having a pet can keep you from feeling lonely or depressed
- Pets are good for your health
- Your whole family can share the benefits of having a pet in your lives
Pictured right, Patriotic Bowtie from IrishHooksAndYarn / below, My Pets reusable coloring book from babyzebracreations / below right, Dog Days Party Printable Invitation from smallfrynotables.
Think you’re an expert when it comes to pets? Well, take a look at these fun facts...
- Pet lovers are guardians to nearly 100 million dogs and cats in the United States, and spend about $35 billion on their furry friends each year. That’s a lot of lucky pets.
- Studies show that people with pets live longer, have less stress, and fewer health problems. Sign me up.
- 94% of pet owners say their animal pal makes them smile more than once a day. More like once an hour for me.
- Max wins as the most popular name for pooches. Other popular dog names are Jake, Buddy, Maggie, Molly, and Bear. Wrigley is our favorite; we had three by that name!
- 95% of cat owners admit they talk to their cats. And what’s wrong with that?
- In Belgium in 1879, 37 cats were “hired” to carry bundles of letters to villages. But the service didn’t last long because the mail cats just wouldn’t cooperate! Really? Can’t imagine cats not cooperating.
- A cat will almost never meow at another cat...that’s because cats only meow to get our attention. Yep, and they won’t stop until you take notice of their needs.
- A dog named Laikia became the world's first astronaut in 1957, when she was sent into space by the Russian government.
- Abraham Lincoln loved cats. In fact, he had four of them while he lived in the White House. His favorite was named Tabby.
- Tests done by the University of Michigan proved that cats have better memories than dogs. The study shows that while a dog’s memory lasts no more than 5 minutes, a cat's can last as long as 16 hour. Cats rule, dogs drool.
- Dogs can hear sounds that are too faint for us to hear. In fact, their hearing is so good they probably rely more on sound than sight. But the common belief that dogs are color blind is false. Dogs can see color, just not as well as we do. They can tell the difference between blue, yellow, and gray, but probably don’t see red and green.
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