According to research, kids who grow up with pets in the house, and who are taught to treat them with respect and care, are more likely to do better at school and develop into well-balanced and responsible adults. - source
If you have children, your dog can participate in teaching them life lessons and responsibilities. Imagine the important lessons learned when you teach your kids to care for and respect pets in the household.
When pets have vet needs, you take care of them. When you have to be away from home, you make plans to ensure their continued care. When children have priority chores that involve caring for the family dog, the kids realize that they can’t just postpone these duties when something more exciting comes along. There is a living, breathing creature at home depending on them. That is a HUGE deal.
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There are other valuable lessons that can be learned by caring for living things and by the relationship between dog and kids. Studies have shown that men who own dogs make better dads, likely because they appreciate the needs of dependents, regardless of species.
There is also enough troubling evidence that kids who treat animals cruelly often grow up to commit violent crimes against people. When kids see their family dog treated as nuisance or as a disposable novelty, imagine what negative behavior they are learning.
Conversely, many great dog owners were kids when they learned how to be compassionate and caring towards canines.
