The Emotional Legacy My Dog ​​left In My Childhood

Childhood with a pet is lived more fully and gives us an emotional legacy capable of edifying us as people. The happiness that an animal offers us, be it a dog or a cat, is so sincere and noble that every child should grow up with this privilege.

According to a study published in the newspaper “The Guardian” having a pet helps children to be more empathetic. In addition, according to this same work, they are less likely to suffer from asthma (up to 50% if they grow up on a farm).

Pets are a source of well-being for children. So much so, that we are sure that today you still fondly remember that animal that gave light and smiles to your childhood. In the following this article, we invite you to reflect on it.

Pets help us socialize in our childhood

Dogs and cats are more than just playmates. Currently, there are still parents who fear introducing an animal into the home if there are young children thinking that they may pose a risk. However, it is not bad to remember that  a well-cared for animal is a therapeutic tool for our children.

Dieter Krowatschek, a child and school psychologist from Marburg (Germany), offers us an interesting book entitled “Children need companion animals”. In it he shows us the ability of dogs to promote the socialization of the little ones.

Dogs are therapeutic agents for children

Certain animals such as dogs are therapeutic agents in many cases for children:

• Dogs are more curious and less cautious than adults. They can be the most intrepid and confident explorers, teaching children in passing that the best attitude to reality is to open up to discoveries. On the other hand, they are great guardians and that makes them perfect companions for the first skirmishes of our little ones.

• Thanks to animals, our children develop an adequate empathic capacity, understanding early on the value of a caress, words and the importance of positive over negative reinforcement.

• Something as simple as having a dog at home counteracts the risk of so many hours of solitude in front of the television or the computer. Their way of relating will be more playful, more open.

• Pets are excellent companions for emotional relief, to channel sadness, fear or tantrums. In fact, we cannot forget what many studies tell us: animals have emotions and also, they know how to interpret them in us.

Something that we cannot ignore is  the great therapeutic benefit that dogs can offer to children with autism or attention deficit. It allows them to focus concentration, enjoy physical contact and interact with the environment in a more secure way.

We also know that it is very possible that the memories – together with the dog, the cat or another animal with which you shared your childhood – bring you some nostalgia, mixed with sadness. A feeling very similar to the one that invades us when we evoke some of the moments we share with loved ones who, for one reason or another, are gone.

Now, don’t forget that our pets never die, they sleep in your heart. There is therefore no greater tribute to those friends of the soul than to remember them with a smile and to thank them for everything they did for you: thanks to them you are a better person and, based on the experience you have lived, you will probably choose that your children also grow up next to an animal.