The Many Benefits For Children of Owning a Pet
Those of us not originally from the Emirates have often moved here from urban areas where keeping pets, especially those that need outdoor space and walks, is a daunting, even challenging experience. Not so here in Dubai.
Many people are fortunate enough to live in spacious villas, with at least a little bit of outdoors, or even a proper garden, attached. This makes keeping pets, such as cats and dogs possible and easy.
The indisputable and considerable safety of the UAE, makes walking dogs in the early hours or late at night in the dark, a safe and reasonably straightforward experience. While the Middle East boasts uncomfortably high temperatures in the summer, the very late and very early hours, remain pleasant in all but the most humid weather, making this experience still more bearable than freezing walks late at night in winter or in pouring cold rain.
There is an abundance of excellent facilities available for looking after pets, from state of the art veterinary clinics to rehabilitation and socialising facilities. Many people are fortunate enough to have competent and reliable home help, so the care of the animal is assured even during spells out of the country. In addition, there are also a number of catteries and kennels offering care of pets while people are away on holiday.
If a housemaid, a neighbour or a friend is looking after your pet in the summer, please bear the following in mind. Cats, dog and rabbits will need to be kept mostly inside with the air conditioning on during the summer, and they will require walks, food and companionship every day. A tortoise, for example, would seem like an easy pet to maintain over summer holiday periods. However, if it does not dig in to hibernate, as many do during the hottest months, tortoises will need fresh vegetables – such as lettuce, tomatoes, bean sprouts, apples, cucumbers etc - to be bought for them every 3-4 days. Buying this in large quantities in advance, as in the case of dog or cat food - in cans or dry food packs - is not possible.
Not all UAE residents are equally keen on animals however and this can result in cases of abuse and abandonment, much as in most other cities the world over. K9, Feline Friends and many other animal shelters in neighbouring emirates try to tackle this problem, giving shelter to and re-homing abandoned or rescued pets.
The many benefits to children who grow up around animals cannot be disputed, and if you have ever considered getting or adopting a pet, this is the place to do it.
Someone once said that pets add another dimension to family life - a good way to put it. Pets are company and comfort, yet their care demands responsibility and reliability from all members of the family. Children, even younger ones, are perfectly capable of bathing, brushing, feeding, cleaning out after and taking care of pets. It teaches them to take care of something beyond themselves, making a positive impact on skills such as nurturing and empathy. It teaches love, appreciation, being needed. Pets are wonderful company and their presence makes a very positive impact on people suffering from chronic illnesses. Talking to and about their pets helps children with social skills.
Some pets are easy, gentle and manageable; others need training and time. Things, even prized possessions may get destroyed, chewed, scratched or broken by pets. Learning to accept and cope with such situations is a lesson in itself.
Selecting a pet is not only fun, but also a huge responsibility, especially if there are family members with allergies to consider. Children must learn to interact responsibly and respectfully with pets or injuries, bites and scratches may occur. Teaching children responsibility for and respect towards living things is one of the many benefits pets can bring to young family members. Living creatures are not dolls to be carried around, poked, prodded and dressed up at the whim of ignorant children.
Regular enforced exercise is definitely a benefit of owning a dog, though in the UAE, one look around quickly reveals that it is often drivers, or housemaids doing this duty and benefitting from the exercise!
Understanding the need for, and responsibly clearing away dog poo during a walk is an unpleasant but necessary lesson both for adults and children, and one that is often still overlooked here in the UAE. Open waste land areas are no excuse for this level of neglect. With the recent boom of building work everywhere, waste ground will become a rarity and this practice will have to stop for everyone’s benefit.
Due to children’s love of animals many get their first taste of animal ownership from books they read. Although books featuring animals that speak and have human characteristics are fun to read, they do not depict animals as they are.
Here is a selection of books about animals that portray real animals and their relationships with humans. This is a list of books your children may enjoy, starting from slightly easier ones.
Michael Morpurgo: Conkers
Michael Morpurgo: Mr Skip
Dick King Smith: Happy Mouseday
Dick King Smith: Clever Lollipop
Dick King Smith: Hodgeheg
Dick King Smith: How Green Was My Mouse
Michael Morpurgo: Born to Run
Michael Morpurgo: Shadow
Michael Morpurgo: War Horse
Michael Morpurgo: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips
Hugh Lofting: Doctor Dolittle
Lauren St John: The White Giraffe
Anna Sewell: Black Beauty
Carl Hiaasen: Hoot
Paul Gallico: The Snow Goose
Anne Fine: The Chicken Gave it to Me
Kate DiCamillo: Because of Winn-Dixie
Eva Ibbotson: One Dog and His Boy
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor: Shiloh
Eric Knight: Lassie Come Home
John Grogan: Marley and Me
A selection of films featuring the relationship between humans and animals:
We Bought a Zoo
Lassie
Marley and Me
Free Willy
War Horse
Tarka the Otter
Agnes Holly, BA English and German; MA Comparative Literature; Hornsby Dipl Special Educational Needs. Agnes has more than 25 years' teaching experience in various roles ranging from university to nursery teaching, in addition to on-going work bringing up 5 children
