Dogs and kids

I'm a big fan of kids having dogs. Not only does having a dog at an early age apparently help kids not grow up with dog/animal allergies, but I think having a dog does wonders for a kid's personality and helps them learn how to love, respect and care for animals.

We have had a boxer/chow mix for 6 years, he's our first "kid". Before my daughter was born, we ensured we had set up her room, let him sniff her blankets, sleep in her room (which used to be a home office for me) and also had friends bring over their small kids so he would get used to that new baby smell. I even held friend's babies while paying attention to our dog at the same time, so he knew even if I was holding a baby, I wasn't going to leave him out.

When my daughter was born, we brought back a t-shirt and blanket she used in the hospital (before she even came home) so that our dog would get used to her smell. Then when she came home, I sat down with her and let our dog sniff her, let him look at her and let him snuggle up on the couch next to me like he usually did, so that he wouldn't get jealous of the new baby.

We continued to do that as she got older and our dog was always great with her. She was so used to having him around that sometimes she would sleep through him barking at whoever came to our door. When she would cry, he would whine and pace until I figured out what she needed and got her happy again. When she started to crawl he would slowly follow her and see what she was doing and look after her. When she started to walk, she would sometimes hold onto him and use him to help her stable herself - all the while he would stand there very patiently and wait.

Nowadays, she loves him very much and helps to take care of him. If his food bowl is low, she goes and fills it up. If he needs water, she lets me know so I can fill his water dish. She puts a blanket on him if he is laying down so "he doesn't get cold". She has even helped teach her little brother how to interact with the dog eg no pulling his ears, nice pat-pats, don't chase him around (although she doesn't always follow that one herself...lol), etc.

All I know is our family loves dogs and we wouldn't even think of not having a dog for them to grow up with. Our dog is part of the family and I really think having a dog helps our kids learn how to properly treat, care for and love animals.