Will Buying a Dog Teach Your Child Responsibility?

Growing up in Uganda, my mom was (and still is) of the school of thought that dogs belong outside. But of course, little ol’ me with my Swedish friends who had their dogs everywhere, wanted one too. But as the saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, because now, even my husband wants a dog, I’m like nope! Too much responsibility. 4 kids is plenty, thank you.

However, as I mentioned my timeline clearly showed that dogs and puppies are very much a part of many families with kids young and old. If you’ve considered getting a dog for your family I would personally recommend doing your homework and research on what breeds are most suitable. But I also know that in many instances the dogs were part of the family before the kids, so then it’s really just a matter of everyone adjusting to the new kid (baby) on the block.

Pets can be a great way for children to learn responsibility and actually caring for something other than themselves. It could very well be a welcomed chore they take on. I’ve just always had a notion that it will eventually fall on my plate of things to do. And this mama’s plate doesn’t have room for dog walking, dog grooming, dog cleaning, or dog-anything, lol. But I can definitely see the potential for helping children be responsible. Is that a strong enough reason to buy a dog though?

At the end of the day, I guess people simply buy puppies because they want to. Not in particular to benefit the kids per se, but simply because they want to add a new family member. And I can’t lie, some of these dogs and puppies out here are too cute!