Every Kid Benefits from a Dog By: Sam Di Santi

 Every Kid Benefits from a Dog By: Sam Di Santi 

**Sources cited at the end of the blog** 

Introduction: 

All throughout my life, I have had a dog. Since the day I came home from the hospital, at least one dog has been running through our house and making our lives that much more interesting. I have had four dogs in my life, and am appreciative of each and every one of them. All of them have had a major impact on my life, and because of this, I believe any child would benefit from having a dog or other pet in their home. Each one of my dogs has had a different story, personality, and life that I would love to share. Duncan, Lily, Gus, and Rosie are all special in their own perfect way and the impact they've had on myself and my family is so incredibly major. 

Duncan: 

All of my dogs have been very special to me, but Duncan was very different for many reasons. My family got Duncan in 2003, 2 years before I was born. He was born on December 29th, 2002, and definitely shook up our family's life for good. All throughout my dad's childhood, he had wanted a dog, but his mom wouldn't let him. When my dad finally had a family of his own he convinced my mom to get a dog. He wanted to teach the kids responsibility and he wanted that experience for himself. My mom agreed and they immediately began searching for the perfect puppy. They found a breeder in Pennsylvania named Endless Mountain Labradors and immediately fell in love with labrador retrievers. My parents spent a long time researching the perfect breed. They looked at golden retrievers, too much grooming, they looked at Chesapeake bay retrievers, not great with kids, they looked at rescue animals but were worried about their temperament, and finally settled on the English Labrador. They took the four-hour drive to Pennsylvania and brought home a little puppy that they named Duncan. Duncan was named after his dad Doogan and had the sweetest temperament. He sat under my mom's feet when they were picking the puppies and that was it, he was our dog. When I was born Duncan was 2 years old and he was always my buddy and protector. He was my pillow when I was a baby, my playmate when I was a toddler, and my very best friend. I can't speak much about Duncan teaching me responsibility because I was only 9 when he passed, but he definitely taught me a lot more than just that. He taught me how to love something more than you love yourself and how to protect the people I love, no matter what. I took some part in taking care of Duncan, I fed him from time to time and took him out as often as I could, but I can't take credit for raising him. If anything, Duncan raised me and taught me a lot about the love an animal can share with a person. Duncan took a special liking to me because I was the baby, we had a special relationship because he had known me since I was in the womb.  Studies have shown that playing with a dog or cat can "elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine" (Lundgren 1). These hormones are known to relax and make people happy even when they are already having a tough time. Pet-owning kids are also generally just better off. Studies have shown that kids will have better general health, be more "obedient", more physically fit, less moody, and have fewer behavior or learning problems. Pets in general help kids learn what responsibility means and how hard it can sometimes be to put other's needs before your own. Duncan was my first dog and even if I didn't have much responsibility when it came to taking care of him, he taught me a lot about the relationship between animal and human, and how it is one of the most beautiful gifts in the world. Duncan passed six years ago, it's hard to believe it's been that long, it feels like only yesterday I was dressing him up in princess outfits and snuggling him in our family room. Duncan was an extraordinary pet and someone I will never forget. 

Duncan as he got older. He loved to play outside. 

This was Duncan when he first came home from the breeder. He loved sleeping in tight spaces.

Duncan & Lily 

 

Lily: 

Lily was my second dog, we got her when I was six years old. I wanted a second dog very badly, I never got to experience the puppy phase of Duncan's life and my dream was to have a little puppy shadow. Duncan was 9 when we got Lily and he wasn't a huge fan of her, but they eventually grew on each other. We went to a different breeder this time and Lily was my love at first sight moment. All of Lily's siblings were so sleepy and tired, but she had all this puppy energy. She kept coming up to me to play and was so spunky. We immediately knew she was our puppy and brought her home that day. Lily's relationship with me is also very different than the other dogs. Lily knew me since I was six years old, she was growing up with me and I loved playing with her all the time. Over the past year, Lily went through a lot. Once we got Gus (my third dog) I took on the complete responsibility of two dogs. I took care of them day and night, they were "my" dogs. Lily was so goofy and just funny. She made everyone laugh and knew just when you needed to smile. She had an intuition and was always near when you needed her most. Her goofiness is what attracted us to her in the first place, she was happy go lucky and we loved that about her. Over the past year, Lily took a turn downhill health-wise. Back in May, she had a few health scares and we were afraid we were going to lose her. I did absolutely everything in my power to take care of her and give her the best last few months of life as possible. She was on 8 medications, that I gave to her every single day, she had vet appointments all the time but she was still my Lily. She still wanted to live, she still played with Gus, and she taught me so much. Taking care of her while she was sick was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. It required a lot of sacrifices, many sleepless nights, alarms for pills, and lots of love, but it taught me so much. Lily needed us to survive, our whole family pitched in to help her live her best life. I realized at that moment how much these dogs rely on me and how much I relied on them for the happiness and love they provided. I did my absolute best for Lily and without me or the support of my family, she wouldn't have lived those last three months. Lily passed away in August and taking care of her at her most vulnerable taught me more than anything else ever could. I put her before myself, I made sacrifices for someone I loved, I worked hard to make her life worth living. A lot of people don't want to get their kid's pets because of this exact situation, because of the loss and the pain that comes with it. I get where those people come from, but I think this is part of the reason why you should get a pet. Knowing that your time with them is limited is what makes you want to do your best for them, to make every day worth it, and take care of them like they're your own child. Lily was my special girl and taking care of her was a privilege I will never take for granted. I made a commitment to her, and I fulfilled it to the best of my ability. This loss was painful, it still is, but it taught me so much. Throughout life, we're going to lose people we love, but all of the good days with Lily were worth that one bad one, and that lesson is very important for every child to learn. 

Lily & I a few years ago after a walk. 

Lily & Gus

Lily & I when she first came home. 

Gus: 

Gus is very different from all of our other dogs. When I was going into 8th grade I begged for another dog. Lily was 7 and I wanted Gus to know her and create a relationship with her. I promised everything to my parents, I would raise this dog and they would support me when I needed it. They finally agreed after lots of convincing and we reserved a puppy. This time, we went back to Endless Mountain Labradors and reserved a puppy from their Tillie x Brody litter. Gus was the last male dog available and he was the perfect fit for our family. Taking him home and raising him when I had never taken on this much responsibility before was a challenge. I didn't realize how much attention puppies need when they're so little, I was used to older more low maintenance dogs. Raising Gus was very hard and at the same time I took on all the responsibility with Lily. I quickly got the hang of it, I knew everything about the dog's schedules, when the heartworm and Bravecto were due, when they needed to go out or when they just wanted attention. I became accustomed to my life revolving around the dogs. Raising Gus from 8 weeks old to now, taught me so much. I realized how much work it was to take care of a dog and how getting a dog is serious business. Dogs are only part of our lives, but for them, we're their whole life. I would describe Gus as mushy, he's so cuddly and he always wants love. His goal in life is to make you happy and because of that, he does anything he can to make you smile. I was taught a different lesson with Gus than I was with the other dogs, I realized that if someone wants a dog they need to think it all the way through first. I have no regrets with any of my dogs, but taking care of Gus sure was difficult at the start and I needed a lot of support. If a family or child wants a dog they need to fully understand the responsibility with it and if for any reason they can't handle it, they should wait until they can. Gus also helped teach me about respecting animal's boundaries. All of my dogs have taught me this, but it was especially so with Gus. An animal deserves respect just like a  human does and children need to learn this from day one. Not bothering a dog while it's eating and only touching them or speaking to them with respect is key to have a healthy relationship. With my other dogs, I wasn't as involved with the responsibility aspect of it, but with Gus, he was truly my dog. Being taught the lesson of how to respect animals is so important because even if you don't personally have a dog, you'll interact with one someday and need to treat it just like you would a human. 

Gus & I at the breeder, before we brought him to his forever home. 

Gus & Rosie 

Gus in his salt costume from Halloween. 

Rosie: 

Rosie (aka Rosie Posie Pudding Pie) is our quarantine puppy. I had my heart set on three dogs, I really wanted another dog close to age in Gus so they could grow up together. Lily also was our forever puppy and was always up for another playmate so we thought it was a great idea. This April, in the thick of quarantine, I convinced my parents to get another dog. We wanted a female chocolate puppy so we could have all three colors, but at the time they only had yellow available, so we reserved Rosie from the Juliet x Scotch litter on May 5th. Rosie was born on May 2nd, so we constantly got picture updates as she got older. Rosie's personality is so different than any of our other dogs. She's very serious, she has very concerned eyebrows which always makes me laugh, and she's super feisty. She has always fought for herself and is probably the alpha in our house. She's not submissive at all, while Gus is the exact opposite. Raising her taught me even more than Gus had. They say the reason mother's keep having kids is because they forget how difficult it was with a newborn, the same applies to puppies. I forgot how much work it was with Gus and when I had the responsibility of three dogs it was certainly overwhelming at first. I'm so happy Lily got to meet Rosie and have a relationship with her, Lily loved all puppies because they matched her energy level. I loved having three dogs and I hope when I'm older I can do it again, the three of them had such a special bond. Rosie taught me how much having dogs can help your mental health. During quarantine, I'm sure everyone was having issues with being isolated at home all the time, and having Lily, Gus, and Rosie made everything that much easier. They were a distraction, something I could put my effort into and give me purpose. They relied on me and needed me, so I did everything I could to make them happy. Seeing them happy, made me happy and I was glad that they were there for me when I needed them. Studies have shown that dogs can "ease anxiety" and build self-confidence for many children and adults. Pets live in the moment, they don't understand the concept of time, they live for today and that can help people to learn to enjoy their life and live it to the fullest. Pets can also reduce separation anxiety in kids and have a "friend" that is never critical or judgemental of them. A pet's love is unconditional, no matter who you are, which helps kids to build their confidence and find someone to confide in. It can also help kids build better relationships with humans because of the bond they have with their pets,  which is another great benefit. Rosie's personality is certainly different from our other dogs but is special in her own amazing way. 

Lily & Rosie at the beginning of July. 

Rosie & I before we took her home. 

Rosie in her pepper costume from Halloween. 

Overall Conclusion: 

Overall, the experience I have had with all four of my dogs has taught me so much. Duncan was my protector and taught me how amazing the relationship between animal and human could really be. Lily was my goofball and taught me that even though loss hurts, the good days I had with her made everything worth it. Gus is my mushy baby, he has taught me so much about loyalty and about the amount of respect animals deserve and require. Rosie is as feisty and serious as a dog can get, she helped me with my mental health during quarantine and was a bright light in my life when everything else seemed dark. Many studies have shown the positive impacts dogs have on mental health, physical activity, teaching responsibility, easing separation anxiety, and helping to build self-confidence by giving someone a purpose. My dogs have been a major part of my childhood and raising them has been my greatest privilege. The impacts these dogs have had on my life is something I can never forget. My children will certainly have a dog in their life and I hope many people take this advice, dogs make life better. The loss is hard, taking care of them is hard, but the love they give and the happiness they bring is second to none, every child deserves that experience and I am so grateful to my parents and family for allowing me to have and take care of these dogs. They have changed my life and I'm sure they've changed many other kids' lives all across the world. 

Works Cited: 

Works Cited

Miles, J.N.V, Parast, L., Babey, S.H., Griffin, B.A., & Saunders, J.M. (in press). A propensity-score weighted population-based study of the health benefits of dogs and cats on children. Anthrozoös.

Purewal, R., Christley, R., Kordas, K., Joinson, C., Meints, K., Gee, N., & Westgarth, C. (2017). Companion animals and child/adolescent development: a systematic review of the evidence. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(3), 234.

Robinson, Lawrence. “The Health and Mood-Boosting Benefits of Pets.” HelpGuide.org, www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/mood-boosting-power-of-dogs.htm#:~:text=Pets, especially dogs and cats,valuable companionship for older adults.