Is there an appropriate age for children to have a dog ?

john9to5

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick wee post regarding kids and dogs, My neice is 8 years old and has been begging her mother and father for a little dog for the last year. She says the general spiel of I'll walk it, I'll look after it the usual really but I had a dog when I was that age and I was really good with mine, I have been considering getting her a little dog for her birthday , like a little poodle or border terrier. Her mum and dad would allow her to have one but they dont have the funds available to buy her one. My only concern is if I buy her the dog now will she still love it when she is going off to uni in 10 years time or will she be too busy with friends and it will be left with her mum and dad ?. Is 8 too young for a dog or ?

Just want to see what peoples opinions of it is.


Thanks )

BB1984

Depends on the child.

My main concern would be - if they can't afford to buy one (bearing in mind you can get one for nothing but a donation at a rescue centre), how can they afford to feed it, immunise it, pay for vet bills, insurance etc? (unless you're offering to pay that too!)

BB

vroombroom

personally 8 is too young for me. They are a lot of hard work and it'll be her mum and dad who are doing the majority of the care - dogs dont just require walks, they need vet treatment, training, worming, neutering etc etc. If they don't have the funds to buy one, how will they afford all the other stuff that goes with them? And I speak from experience with one dog who needs haircuts every 6-8 weeks at £20 a pop, worming, fleaing and boosters etc it all adds up. I also have a dog walker take them out for a good run x

Why not take her to a rescue centre and get her to walk some of the stray dogs there? x

Kimberley82

8 is fine as long as the parents will surport her.

But who is going to pay for vets etc?

bettyB_2

john9to5 wrote: »

My only concern is if I buy her the dog now will she still love it when she is going off to uni in 10 years time or will she be too busy with friends and it will be left with her mum and dad ?

To be frank, yes that's exactly what will happen when she grows up. it will be her parent's pet and their responsbility, not hers. If it were me, I wouldnt mind my 8 year old having a dog, but i'd be 100% aware that at the end of the day I would be the one responsbile for it.

Your neice may walk it, feed it etc (although even those things will need adult supervision) but her parents will be the ones driving it to the vets, paying for its food, etc.

I think what you want to do for your neice is lovely, but you might want to discuss it more with her parent first - dogs are expensive and hard work!

I do think it's a good idea for young kids to have pets - it teaches them about responsibility, looking after living things, and ultimately (unfortunately) death.

Maybe you could get her another kind of pet that wouldnt be such a hassle for the parents? Like a hamster or a rat (rats are very good pets and very friendly towards humans, unlike hamster and gerbils. I had one when I was 9 yrs old) or a rabbit if they have a garden??

Kittendreich

In my opinion children should not have dogs. It would need to be a family decision as no matter how much a child says it will be responsible for it the family will need to take shared ownership. How is the child going to pay for vets fees, food, will the child be able to train the dog properly and be up through the night if you get a puppy, will the child be allowed/willing to go out in the rain/snow/hail in the dark before and after school in the winter and last thing at night, what about costs of dog walkers or kennels if these are ever needed?

If her parents cannot afford to buy a dog - are you going to pay for all ongoing costs?

You need to have a full discussion with her parents on their own (before making any promises to her!) and see whether they want a dog - if they don't please don't go against their wishes as it is them who will realistically have to look after the dog.

BitterAndTwisted

An eight year old child cannot be expected to be solely responsible for any pet, let alone a dog. This is one present that I most certainly would not buy for any family, let alone a child. Have you discussed acquiring this proposition with the parents? There could be a number of reasons why they haven't got one before now. The price of buying a dog is only the very beginning of a very long list of costs over its lifetime.

If the parents thought a dog was a suitable addition to the family they could consider rehoming one. For the most part the cost would be minimal.

Please do not consider a terrier! They are mostly quite independent, not easy to train and can be very willful. In my opinion a terrier would be the least appropriate breed for a family with a small child. Better something a lot less intelligent like a labrador.

make_me_wise

It does greatly depend on the child, you know her best. Is she the responsible type who will happily look after the dog, take it to puppy training, want to go for walks even when the weather is bad?

I think pets are great for kids but im not sure id get a dog. As you questioned in your post, in 10 years or so when the dog is still about, your niece may be moving on to uni or be leaving home and starting out by herself.

I would be inclined to get her something easier to care for and that, to be blunt, doesn't live so long. My parents started me off with goldfish, then a budgie, eventually we had rabbits and a cat.

podperson

I think 8 is too young to expect her to be responsible for the dog so if it was just for her then no - if it was going to be a family dog that she helped with then that's a different matter. I would make sure you discuss it fully with her parents since, as mentioned above, dogs aren't cheap and if they are short on money then they may well struggle for things like vets bills, jabs etc. At around that age I was allowed a rabbit, and although I loved it to bits I will admit that there were times when my mum would end up looking after it, and a dog can be a lot more work.

GlasweJen

Our house has always had a dog, my first memory is breaking my nose when I was 2 and clinging to our labrador in the car to hospital, the lab died when I was older.

When she died after a year or so my mum got a papillion, I was 10 years old and we were besotted. When I was 12 our dog had a litter, one of the pups was weak and died at birth but was resucitated. The vet said we could never sell that pup on as she was so weak and wouldn't live long, she would almost certainly be brain damaged from the oxygen deprivation at birth.

I asked my parents if that dog could be mine. 12 and a half years later (only 2 days ago) the dog was put to sleep. Although she was always mine she was also the families, I did pay for her insurance costs (was cheap starting out and that came out of my pocket money). Despite her bad start she took well to training and I did walk her and her mum come rain or shine, paid half of the dog food bill and arranged for my mum to watch her for a fee for the 4 years I lived away at university (halls didn't allow dogs and she was too used to living with her mum at that point, would have been cruel to separate them). We loved them both as family pets though and we all knew that their place was in the family home - it would have been cruel to the 2 dogs and also to the rest of the family for me to have taken the wee one with me when I went to uni.

Nimeth

As others said, it depends on the child. I was 10 when I got my first (and only) dog. To be really sure that I wanted and would care for the dog, I was made to earn it. My parents made me a large chart with a list of things on it that I had to do. I would earn one star every time I did an item on the list (set table, clean room, take out rubbish, etc). When I filled up the chart, which took me a few months and was still adamant I wanted a dog, we got one from the shelter. I loved that dog right up until the day she passed away a month ago aged 17. Maybe this might be something you could suggest to the parents/your niece?

I'd also consider the temperment and size of the dog. I had a dachshund mix. My OH had a Westie from a young age who was good with children. I'd be wary of terriers to be honest.