Should I offer my child a pet?

Should I offer my child a pet?

[mme_highlight] Owning a pet may help the acquisition of a sense of responsibility, as well as the development of self-confidence, a sense of social membership and security. Some of the potential health risks associated with pet ownership include aggression and bites, allergies and zoonosis. [mme_highlight]

Pets have been shown to influence human development and evidence seems to support the hypothesis that the children’s relationships with their pets are more important than the presence pets in their homes per se. In fact, many educators, parents and researchers see domesticated pets, particularly dogs, as objects of instruction and assistants in the education of children, defending they may help the development of children in socio-emotional and cognitive levels.

What are the most important features of pet ownership by children?

Till now, little is known about cultural and socioeconomic differences regarding childhood pet ownership. The box below illustrates the overall proportion of pet ownership as well as the proportion per type of pet.

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Prevalence of pet ownership
(results from a survey of 1021 9–10 year old primary school children in Liverpool, U.K.)

  • Any pet: 66.8%
  • Dog: 37.1%
  • Cat: 16.6%
  • Rabbit: 9.1%
  • Rodent: 14.6
  • Horse: 2.1%
  • Other: 36.1%

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According to Westgarth C et al. and as the box below shows, in general, girls were more likely to own most pet types, except for rabbits; however no difference was found concerning children’s attachment to their favorite pet. Children of white ethnicity were more likely to own dogs, rodents and other pets but again no differences were found regarding attachment. Youngest children and those with no siblings showed greater attachment to their pets. “Pit Bull or cross” and “Bull Breed” dogs were more likely to be owned by children in more deprived areas than other dog types.

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Factors associated with pet ownership
(Results from a survey of 1021 9–10 year old primary school children in Liverpool, U.K.)

  • Girls were 2 times more likely to own most pet types (OR 2.00, CI 95% 1.44-2.79; p<0.001).
  • Children of non-white ethnicity were almost 80% less likely to own dogs, rodents and other pets (OR 0.23, CI 95% 0.15-0.35; p<0.001).

OR – odds ratio; CI – confidence interval.
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What may be the positive impact of pet ownership by children?

The core of this subject is not in the pet ownership itself, but in the relationship it makes arise. Hence, owning a pet may help the acquisition of a sense of responsibility, as well as the development of self-confidence, a sense of social membership and security. A child who has a pet may be more prone to demonstrate some positive character traits such as frankness, broad mindedness, and sympathetic understanding. Parents should keep a supporting role, which includes assuring optimal pet keeping conditions to prevent harm to the children.

In a study conducted by Kidd AH et al. 700 parents completed a Melson Parent Questionnaire which assesses children’s activities with, interest in, and responsibility for pets, and completed either the Wilson Attitude Inventory for Pet Owners or for Nonpet Owners. Among the results it is interesting to highlight that children of strongly attached adults and in pet-owning homes scored higher on “Activities and Interest” than children of weakly attached adults and in nonpet-owning homes and also that girls scored higher than boys on “Interest” and, in pet-owning homes, also on “Responsibility” .

Another study, by Triebenbacher SL et al., emphasized the children’s use of pets as transitional objects. Their sample included 94 boys and 80 girls in preschool through Grade 5, among which 70% were current pet owners and 30% were not pet owners.
The answers to the interview designed to assess perceptions about the role of friendships between animals and humans have shown that children perceive their pets as special friends, important family members and providers of social interactions, affection, and emotional support.

What may be the negative impact of pet ownership by children?

Some of the potential health risks associated with pet ownership include aggression and bites, allergies and zoonosis.

However the association between early exposure to pets in childhood and subsequent development of sensitization and asthma remains controversial. Some studies have found a higher prevalence of allergic sensitization and respiratory illness in children owning a cat or dog at home, but other studies did not. In fact, it was observed that children living on a farm with animals may be less prone to allergic disease than those living in urban settings.

According to an article by Medjo B et al., pet owning is not significantly associated with increased risk for asthma. Apparently, only owning a cat during the first year of a child’s life increases the risk of sensitization to cat allergen; this association was not found past the first year, as shown in the box below.

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Pet ownership, asthma and allergic sensitization

  • Early pet ownership was not significantly associated with asthma: 0.94; 95% CI 0.44–2.01.
  • Past pet ownership was not significantly associated with asthma: OR, 1.083; 95% CI 0.57–2.06.
  • Current pet ownership was not significantly associated with asthma: OR, 0.866; 95% CI 0.45–1.66.
  • Early cat ownership was significantly associated with sensitization to cat allergen: adjusted OR, 51.59; 95%CI 2.28–1167.07.

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Summary and Recommendations

  • Pets are proposed to confer both physiological and psychological health benefits, but more scientific evidence is needed to prove such assumption.
  • Owning a pet may help the cognitive and social development of a child, particularly the acquisition of a sense of responsibility, as well as the development of self-confidence, a sense of social membership and security
  • There are also potential health risks associated with pet ownership including aggression and bites, allergies and zoonosis.
  • More studies to provide solid evidence are needed, but it seems that owning a pet is not associated with an increase in asthma risk, but may be associated with sensitization to allergens.
  • Parental supervision to assure a secure setting for the development of a relationship between their children and pets is essential.

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References

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