This brochure is intended to be a very general assessment of pets and their effects on the social and emotional development of children.

We are NOT experts in this field and we advise you to consider our research as only supplementary to your own.

Factors to take into consideration that may result in variable results include the breed of dog/cat you choose as well as potential allergies you and/or your child may have.

If you would like to know more, please refer to the list of resources above.

You may also contact us at: PETDUCATION@GMAIL.COM.

“PETDUCATE” YOUR CHILDREN!

OUR LETTER TO YOU Dear Parents/Readers,

We are currently students at the University of California, Berkeley and we would like to let you know about some helpful information in your consideration of whether to get a dog or a cat as a pet.

Let this be a source of your education, a.k.a.

PETDUCATION! This brochure will guide you through the benefits of having dogs or cats as pets for your children and their healthy development. Through research, we have found that there are three main E’s to keep in mind when considering why caring for a cat or dog is nurturing and beneficial for your child.

Pets provide:

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT (INDIVIDUAL BENEFITS)

EMPATHY DEVELOPMENT (SOCIAL BENEFITS)

EXERCISE (HEALTH BENEFITS)

Enjoy! We sincerely hope you find the pet that is right for you and your family.

Respectfully yours,

Johann Christine Alcaraz, John Knox, Joyce Lee,

Steven Lee, Darian McCrackin,

and Yuanyue Xu

RESOURCES How Animals Affect Us: Examining the Influence of Human-Animal Interaction on Child Development and Human Health

— edited by Peggy McCardle, Sandra McCune, James A. Griffin, and Valerie Maholmes

ISBN-10: 143380865X

Child Development and the Human-Companion Animal Bond

— an article by Gail F. Melson found in American Behavioral Scientist September 2003 vol.47 no.1 p. 31-39

Differential Effects of Pet Presence and Pet-Bonding on Young Children

— an article by R.H. Poresky and C. Hendrix found in Psychological Reports

August 1990 vol.67 no.1 p. 51-54

Pets and Human Development — authored by Boris M. Levinson

ISBN-10: 0398023581

STRESS BUFFER ☺ Pets are therapeutic sources of stress relief for children. ☺ Studies show that children experience less behavioral distress when a dog is-present vs. when one is not.

☺ Pets induce calming effects.

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COMPANIONSHIP

◊ Children gain assertiveness and independence through having a pet as a companion and/or protective figure.

◊ Good intervention strategy for children suffering from low self-esteem.

◊ Pets help ease attachment problems and reduce separation anxiety by providing emotional support while primary caregiver is absent.

 

SOCIALIZATION ■ Children exhibit more openness to forming relationships with others (from loving parents/siblings to loving other people)

■ Bonding and exercising caregiving with the pet helps build empathy & altruistic behaviors that can translate into other contexts and situations: □ Classroom □ Playground □ Etc.

► Findings showed “ s i g n i f i c a n t correlations between the children’s bonds with their pet animals and their social competency (comfort, ease, and manner in which they interact with others) and empathy scores”. (Poresky and Hendrix, 1990)

►Pets provide a connection to nature and can teach children respect for other living things.

MEASURING E M P A T H Y

Proportion of children and their parents who were overweight/obese according to dog ownership: from the Children’s Leisure Activities Study (CLASS). 2001. Data from Salmon et al. (2010).

☼ An active pet to follow around promotes activity and lessens risks posed by a sedentary lifestyle.

☼ Babies tend to develop motor skills and locomotion quickly with the presence of an active pet. For example, crawling is initiated faster from the desire to be with/play with the pet.

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...younger children whose family owned a dog were 50% less likely to be overweight or obese than were those who did not own a dog.  (Timperio, Salmon, et al., 2008)  

“...a study of 3 year-old children found that pets ‘provide emotional assurance in times of stress’ and ‘even quite young children form strong emotional attachments to companion animals.’ (Melson, Peet, and Sparks, 1998)