Feature Focus
When looking into those puppy dog eyes, what do you see?
Children see their new best friend. Parents envision how independent and
responsible their children will become while caring for a cat or dog.
But what are the realities of pet ownership? Richmond-area parents share
what they’ve learned.
Pets Take Time
Karen McQueen, who has raised three children and loved many pets,
cautions that “parents have to keep in mind that a pet is sort of like a
‘special needs child’—it will never be able to be independent. The pet
relies on its owners for everything, right down to the very basics:
food, shelter and letting them out to go to the bathroom.”
Kim Barnes says she spends about five minutes per day feeding her six
cats and 10 minutes a day to clean their litter boxes.
While cats usually require very little care since they groom themselves,
dogs’ care requirements vary by breed. Some dogs need to be walked and
groomed frequently. Other breeds are content to run around in the
backyard for exercise and only need an occasional brushing.
Susan Markel, mother of twins, says she spends about 45 minutes to one
hour a day walking the family Schnauzer. She also spends “about one hour
or more feeding, watering, brushing and petting, spread throughout the
day.”
Like with children, pets need to be taught appropriate behavior and
boundaries. Suzanne Etherington urges parents to “spend the extra time,
money and effort at the very beginning to train the dog correctly from
the start.”
She adds, “Be sure to love [your pet] every day. It’s part of the family
too and shouldn’t be an afterthought.”
Pets Take Money
Pet owners can budget for food costs to the tune of $150–500 a year for
a dog, depending on its size, and around $120 a year for a cat. And they
can expect yearly check-up costs of $175–$250 a pet. However, they must
also prepare for the unexpected, just as they do for their children.
Some choose pet health insurance ($70–700/year) in preparation for
unforeseen costs. “Recently Shelby, a 2-year-old Golden Retriever, cut
his paw in the yard and that cost close to $2500 from the first trip to
the doggie ER to the last appointment,” says Laurie Gannon. “Consider
the lifetime costs of getting a dog and the amount of work they
require.”
Pets Need Commitment
Finally, remember that children don’t live at home forever. “What
parents should consider first and foremost is whether THEY want to have
a pet if they are considering [one with] a lifespan beyond one to three
years,” says McQueen.
“If their child is 8 years old and swears that he or she will care for
this pet faithfully— the child may very well keep his or her end of the
bargain,” but 10 to 12 years later, the child might be living elsewhere
and not able to care for the aging animal.
So when considering what your new pet will mean to your children, also
consider the seriousness of your commitment to the pet. “Bottom line,
yes, pets do teach children responsibility. But, they also teach adults
responsibility and humility,” McQueen says.
Kimberli Russ Vida graduated from Randolph-Macon College with a degree in English and a minor in Elementary Education. Her three children challenge her to research parenting while finding her sanity through writing.