Video of L. feeding the dog

L.'s grandmother just sent this Youtube video to me.  It shows L. feeding the family pet.  Here is a link if you'd like to see it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZyjKfejLKg

Enjoy!

Taking care of the family pet at L.'s house

     Encouraging children to take part in the care of a family pet is a wonderful way of empowering children.  Whether the family pet is a fish, dog, cat, guinea pig, chicken, horse, or elephant the lessons that are instilled in a child through caring for animals will remain with them for the rest of their lives.  Including live animals in a child’s daily life  greatly enhances their abilities to learn responsibility, empathy and compassion for other living things, respect for life, and the natural development of living things.  In addition to being a loving companion, pets provide a comfort and solace in times of stress.

     Pets don't have to be expensive or a lot of work. Evaluate how busy your family is and take it from there.  Your local pet store should be able to help you decide what is best for your family but make sure that if you purchase a pet, it is coming from a reputable organization.

With all that said, here are some pictures from L.'s house.  L. takes care of the family dog with the loving guidance and support of his parents.  

Dad puts one scoop of kibble into the bowl that L. holds up.  When he is older, L. will be able to do the scooping all by himself.

L. then walks across the kitchen and places the bowl of food on the floor for the dog.  Here, L. instructs a friend on the finer points of pet care. 

Then they take the dog for a walk.  Obviously, this may not be possible if the dog is young and untrained and I know from experience that cats & fish don't like going for walks.  Finding ways to help the children do things for themselves  may take some observation and thought but is well worth the effort.

 

A slow meander through the neighbourhood....

...then off for a little nature exploration once the job is done.

Peace.