Working with Children and Animals

Contrary to the advice of WC Fields who famously said 'Never work with children or animals', there is strong evidence showing that pets provide a positive impact on children. Much work has been carried out into the effects of pets on children, and nearly all the findings suggest that pets are a good thing. Children who interact with pets regularly are found to have fewer allergies and may also be less likely to develop asthma. They interact in a more more relaxed manner with animals than they do with adults, they learn about responsibility and, perhaps because of this, they grow up to have more self-confidence and higher self-esteem. Pets introduce themes of life cycle such as reproduction, birth, illness, aging, death and bereavement - topics that most parents will happily ignore! Finally, pets also create a focus for the family to bond over - the family takes the dog for a walk, grooms it together, feeds all the pets together and plays together with pets.