Why owning a pet can teach responsibility, diligence and patience in your child.

I told my husband that we would NEVER own a dog or cat. I was convinced it would never suit our family to have a noisy, smelly, hairy animal in our home messing up our schedule. But if you have ever parented you know that saying NEVER is a sign. You will be proven wrong. Superlatives are a dangerous road. It’ll bite you in the end.

So here we are: proud owners of a maltipoo beagle puppy.

How We Arrived at a Pet

My middle son has loved animals since he could walk. Every time we went for a walk or to anyone’s home, he loved the animals and gravitated towards them. He even could get the crankiest old animals to be happy. So we set a long term goal. If he could get to second degree black belt, he could select a dog.

It took 3 years of practice and frustration and diligence. And finally our son achieved his second degree black belt. The night of the ceremony, he said, “so I was thinking a poodle!” and so our promise unfolded.

For some families, pet ownership may come easily. For others, perhaps it is more of a challenge like it was for ours. We did a lot of research and a lot of waiting. The three year commitment to making it past the more difficult aspects of taekwaendo to third degree showed us that our son could be responsible to follow through. We did end up with a malti-poo beagle.

Life Changes with a Pet

1. We are all earlier risers now. No more sleeping in these days. The puppy is up and going. This gives us a lot of morning time together to talk, eat and relax before our days start with work or school.
2. We get outside a lot more. Puppies have a lot of energy. So I take the puppy for a walk in the morning and often times my children will join me or go walk themselves.
3. Learning to clean better. Puppy loves to get into everything. Our sons realize they have to do their chores better. It’s teaching them good cleaning and maintenance skills.
4. We need practice with consistency. It’s challenging to keep the puppy on a routine for eating, potty training and puppy biting. We are recognizing we have some weaknesses in this area of consistency and are keeping each other accountable.

What it is Teaching Our Son (who has ADHD)

1. Selflessness – his puppy requires 24/7 attention and maintenance. Whether it’s walking, feeding, brushing, bathing, and taking to vet, he is finding that the dog takes more attention and care. He has had to give up a lot of his personal preferences for his day-to-day with the puppy – who may interrupt anything he’s trying to do.
2. Commitment – this is a long term commitment. It’s taking love, diligence and setting short and long term goals to help the puppy mature and become a good part of the family. It’s round the clock time commitment.
3. Diligence – constantly having to clean up messes and take the puppy out to go potty has been a challenge. Often times, puppy waking him at 1am.
4. Patience – many meltdowns have occurred. We all have found ourselves frustrated with the puppy. But also learning that it’s a learning process.
5. ADHD – Our son has ADHD and this puppy is hitting it hard. He often forgets when he last took out the puppy or fed him. He has to remember someone else all day long to make sure he’s going outside to go to the bathroom, keeping him safe from dangerous objects and human food and from dangers outside. While there are good days and bad days, he’s learning to adjust and set reminders for himself verbally and with clocks to take care of the puppy.

How it Changed Our Homeschool

This is the first year we have ever taken summer off. Why? Well, a puppy. A very young energetic puppy. We also have camps all summer long so that interrupts many days.

First thing we did – we rearranged the main floor to accommodate the puppy and mess. We needed it. Having more open rooms, more storage and more areas to watch the puppy was a game changer.

Second thing we did – put homeschool on hold. We often would take breaks for short periods of time during the summer for trips or reordering curriculum. But this is the first year we’ve needed a full three months to really figure everything out. This is the beauty of homeschool. We can take a “summer break” early or later until we are ready to start up again. We’ve been busy getting ready for camps, planning trips, and potty training a puppy. And lots of cleaning. It’s been a learning process and enjoyable.

Is it Right for You?

Whether you are considering an animal or already have one, I will tell you that having a pet has been a lot of work but also extremely rewarding. We may not be doing our traditional homeschool schedule right now as we adjust, but we are still learning!

We’ve been studying books and videos about dog training. We’ve been exploring the town. Learning about gardening. Planning a trip to learn about history. Spending time together learning new board games and new skills at home. Cooking, baking, cleaning, sewing. All of this has changed our day to day but we are enjoying it.

You may not want to get a puppy and that is okay. But I recommend that if you are interested in a new aspect to homeschooling, having your child get a pet (even if it is just a goldfish!) is a great way to learn about animals, patience, diligence and responsibility. It has changed our family for the better and I know it will for you too.