Teach your kids how to safely approach new pets
You want your child to love pets as much as you do, and young animal lovers often jump at the opportunity to make friends with every new pet they meet. They may run up to every dog at the park to say hello or go hunting for the cat at a friend’s house to give it lots of kisses and hugs.
Unfortunately, one bad experience with a pet can ruin your child’s budding enthusiasm for furry friends. Even worse, it can lead to a serious scratch or bite.
Set your child up for happy pet encounters by teaching them the safe way to approach a new pet. These four easy steps will help keep your kid out of harm’s way:
Ask permission first. This is the most important step! Your child should always ask you first and then the owner for permission to approach a pet. This gives owners of anxious or aggressive pets a chance to decline before your child is within an anxiety-producing, and potentially dangerous, range.
Walk, don’t run. Unfamiliar running kids can be all kinds of scary to many pets, especially when the kids are running right at them. A calm walk will help keep pets relaxed.
Wait for the sniff. Next, your child should hold out the back of their closed hand a little ways off—never directly in the pet’s face—and wait for the pet to come forward to sniff it. Teach your child that this is how pets say hello; if a cat or dog doesn’t sniff hello, then they don’t want to be petted.
Pet slow below the head. Petting over the head can actually be a threatening gesture to our four-legged friends. Instead, coach your child to gently stroke the pet on the chin or chest. Avoid any hugs or kisses.
Lastly, your child should know the no-go situations of interacting with pets in their own homes. Pets should always be left alone when they are eating, sleeping or chewing on a treat or toy.
Do you have a pet that finds kids freaky?
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