National Kids and Pets Day

National Kids and Pets Day has been going strong since 2005, this very special day was set up by Colleen Paige who is a mother and pet lover herself.  There are lots of great reasons for a child to have a pet companion – the biggest reason being that a child who is shown how to be compassionate towards pets is very likely to carry that compassion on into adulthood, in both their behaviour towards animals and people.

It is also claimed that children with learning disabilities can improve their skills by reading to an animal – and that pets can help shyer children grow more confident.

Growing up, I had a cat from the age of five until I was 16.  She was so good-natured, and although other members of the family cared for her, she really was my cat!  We were very close and I’ll always treasure the memories I had with her!

Colleen talks about how animals ‘innocently’ pull on tails or ears.  I can vouch for this one – as a very young child I thought it would be fun to pull my cat’s tail – she soon told me in no uncertain terms (with a swift scratch) that it wasn’t on!  Most of the time animals who lash out are generally affectionate and not aggressive, so teaching children not to do these things is very important.  To follow Colleen’s tips on on bringing a baby home, go to the National Kids and Pets Day website.   She can tell you all about how cats and dogs temperaments and reactions might vary – and how to deal with it!

The main point of this day is to encourage you to adopt a pet.   There are millions of extremely cute and loving animals out there, just waiting to be part of your family unit!  As long as you and your family are ready, you could be safe in the knowledge that you are giving an animal in need a great home.