Balancing Family and Pets

Treat your pet with respect.  Everyone in the family should understand that touching the family pet is cool, but hitting or harming the pet in any way is unacceptable.  I also recommend that when you are addressing your pet, you should address him or her by name. Never startle your pet trying to play a game with him or her, because the pet may not react appropriately. It is important to monitor young children closely around the family pet, because they may not realize how rough they are being with the family pet.
Let your pet travel with your family. Make sure you stay in a hotel that allows pets.  Call first to make sure they allow it and find out if there are any additional fees for bringing your pet.  Don’t feed your pet too much before taking a long road trip.  This could cause the pet to have an upset stomach and get sick in the car.  There are also special phone applications that you can download that will direct you to the nearest parks, beaches, pet shops, etc… It is called Paw Trotter. There is also a Pet MD application for cell phones.
Let your child teach your pet.  If you have a young child, you can allow your child to read to the pet or tell the pet a story.  The great thing about this is that the child will feel comfortable with their pet, because the pet will not pass judgment on the child’s skill level. 
Celebrate your pet’s birthday.  Just like you would recognize your children’s birthday, it is appropriate to recognize and honor your pet’s birthday.
Let your dog or cat be free. Allow your pet to be a true part of the family and hang out with you guys when you are doing family activities.  Let your pet sleep near a family member of their choice.  It is important to not just lock the pet off into solitary confinement.
Develop a schedule.  Each person that will be responsible for feeding, cleaning behind, or walking the family pet must know clearly how often they are required to do it.  A schedule can be created with the responsibilities of each child listed regarding the family pet.
Parents, remember you are ultimately responsible.  You can definitely try to hold your children responsible for feeding and caring for the family pet and even reinforce that some of their privileges will be revoked if they forget.  No matter how you handle it, you as the parent are responsible for the well being of the family pet.  It is literally just like raising a baby. Once the pet is in your home, it is a part of your family too.
Schedule vet visits around child visits.  When you know that you have a scheduled doctor’s appt. for your child, it is a good idea to see if the vet has availability during the block of time that you will be off.
Consider family allergies.  Make sure you check what your children are allergic to before you permanently bring a pet into your home. Several of our children are allergic to dogs and cats, however, we had our family doctor recommend a certain breed and it worked out perfectly!
You can watch my television talk show, Daily Balance with Kim Jacobs, on PBS – WTVI every Saturday at 10:00 AM.   If you would like to hear more tips from me, you can see me as the Daily Balance Expert every Wednesday for a segment on Charlotte Today (WCNC – News Channel 36) between 11:00 AM -12:00 PM.  You can also read tips from me monthly on the Charlotte Parent Online Edition.  Please visit www.dailybalancewithkim.tv and send me an email at kim@dailybalancewithkim.tv with specific questions. Thank you for your continued support.

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