Here is Mickey with one of our dogs. Her name is Emma and yes, she is a Rottweiler. Before anyone freaks out, I want to make it clear that in my opinion no child should EVER be left unattended with ANY dog. Emma is wonderful, soulful, soft, cuddly, gentle, attentive, and one of my best friends, but she is a dog. While I do trust her, I don't think anyone should ever trust a dog enough to leave their children alone with them, even for a minute. Children can do horrible things to pets. I remember dressing my cat in dolls clothes when I was a child and I truly saw how angry my mom could get!
The bond between a child and their pet is like no other. Our kids have learned so much from having pets. Mason loves to let them out and feed them (supervised of course) and he can't wait for the day when he can walk them. I love watching Mickey and the dogs and how they maneuver around each other. Both dogs are big and it's amazing how they can get around the kids without a scratch. Mickey is not so gentle and usually bulldozes her way through them and they give her a lick and on she goes.
Having a pet teaches a child how to care for another being. They learn to share their space. Best of all they learn how to protect their belongings, which usually means putting them away so the crazy lab doesn't eat them! They learned about death, through the loss of our young cat last year. Pets are a lot of work but well worth every minute of it!
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