Interview with a Vet

Dr. Gerald Laheney has had a long relationship with North Shore Animal League America. He first joined the "team" at age 15, where he started out as a kennel associate. he then went on to the University of Liverpool in England where he received his Degree in Veterinary Science. After spending a year in private practice, Dr. Laheney returned to his roots here at the League to pursue his interest in shelter medicine

We sat down with Dr. Laheney and asked him a few questions about preparing for and caring for a pet when you have children...

When is a good time to introduce your kids to a dog or cat?

You can bring a dog or cat into your home with a child of any age, however, toddlers and infants should be supervised at all times when a dog or cat is around. Some dogs and cats feel uncomfortable around small children and can nip or growl out of anxiety. Before bringing any pet into your home, you definitely want to have a talk with your kids and explain the responsibilities of having a dog or cat.

What pet care responsibilities can you give your children and at what age?

Children really benefit from helping with the family dog or cat because it gives them a sense of importance and responsibility. From ages 3-5, kids can help fill water and food bowls. At ages 5-10, they can help clean cages, but should be supervised while doing so. Starting at age 10, kids can begin walking the dog and cleaning the cat litter. Tasks handled by children should still be checked by an adult.

	What precautions should be taken before bringing home a dog or cat?
	First, you should check to see if your children have any allergies to dogs or cats. Next, you want to make sure any pets you have at home are secluded to a designated area so you can gradually introduce your new pet to the existing family members…both two and four-legged.

What tips can you give for handling a dog or cat?

Simple things like petting should be done carefully to avoid any misunderstanding between your pet, your child and you. When your children want to pet the family dog, it is important to remind them to approach the dog from the front or side. Dogs can become startled if they don’t see you coming first. Cats usually prefer to be stroked on the head and back and the same rule applies with them as well: always approach from the front or side so the animal can see you first. If your child goes to pick up the family dog or cat, you should try to discourage them from doing so, especially in the case of a squirming cat.

What types of behavior should children avoid when handling a pet?

Kids like to play and they should play with their family pet, but under no circumstances should they be pulling tails or ears. Rough playing is also not a good idea, especially with a dog. Rough play may be a game at first but your dog may think you are still playing and may become too rough and actually cause harm to your children. Never under any circumstances should your children try to break up a fight between two dogs or two cats. Pets have instincts that kick into gear and they may cause serious harm to your children, even if they didn’t mean to.

	What is best piece of advice about children and the family pet?
	The most important thing is to teach your children to respect the family dog or cat and remember pets, like humans, have feelings, too!

Dogs, especially puppies, consider themselves equal to or higher than children on the family hierarchy. They look at their family as a “pack” so it is important that puppies be on the ground level and children be part of the training process; meaning the child should be allowed to correct the pup when he or she has done something wrong by saying “No.”