Keep young children safe while enjoying the companionship of a family pet!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cherry Hill, New Jersey, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) February 17, 2012 -- It’s wonderful to have a family pet for your child to play with and care for as they grow up. There are many safety rules that should be followed to facilitate the best possible child/pet relationship. Here are just a few to get you started.

First, make sure your child always treats your family pet with kindness. Any animal who feels fearful, hurt, or threatened is likely to take steps to protect itself, regardless of how “sweet” its temperament may otherwise be. Child safety advocate, Michael Pouls, advises that, “children must be taught never to corner an animal without leaving it an escape route, and never to tug at their ears, tail, or any other body part.”

Second, understand what your pet’s likes and dislikes are. For example, most dogs enjoy getting their belly rubbed, but cats may bite or scratch when their belly is touched. Also, while it’s important for adults to train the family dog not to exhibit food aggression, young children should be taught never to pet the family dog while it is eating food or chewing on a bone.

Third, healthy pets are less likely to exhibit unexpected behavior outside of their norm. Keep your pet’s immunizations, heartworm pills, flea and tick treatments, etc. up to date. Michael Pouls also gives the following advice: “Watch out for possible behavior changes if your pet is prescribed a new medication, such as one containing a steroid. And of course, any medication your family pet may be prescribed should be kept out of reach of young children.”

Fourth, consider microchipping your pet so that if it ever is lost, there is an increased chance of it being identified and returned to you, and your children, safe and sound, avoiding heartbreak.

Finally, teach your children that while they may love their own family pet, they should never approach another animal as they would their own pet. Instead, they should maintain a safe distance with all other animals, because strange sounds or unexpected movements may startle even an otherwise friendly animal.

For more child safety tips, please visit www.michaelpouls.info.

Animal Safety     child safety     pet safety