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quire a more predictable
schedule at home.
Potential dog owners should
research different breeds
before making a decision. Ter-
riers, for instance, get into
everything. Purebreds . in
general tend to be more high
strung. Mixed breeds are best
if you know nothing about
dogs.
Retrievers, Dobermans and
German shepherds are con-
sidered excellent family dogs.
Certain delicate breeds, such
as Afghan hounds, are not
good with children and the
same holds true for hyper,
temperamental dogs like
Most families
shouldn't adopt an
active pet, such as
a cat or dog, until
the youngest child
is at least six
years old.
miniature poodles. Because
Cocker Spaniels were over-
bred in the past few years,
they now have generally bad
temperaments and are no
longer recommended for fam-
ilies. Strong-willed Chi-
huahuas are known to bite
teasing children. Luckily,
there are many books avail-
able that detail the pros and
cons of various breeds.
Birds are becoming in-
creasingly popular as house
pets, especially the larger,
more exotic varieties such as
parrots and cockatoos. A bird
is pretty to watch and its song
appealing (and many birds
can be trained to talk), but its
cage needs to be cleaned dai-
ly and many birds also throw
seeds from the cage.
Large birds can live 100
years, so be sure you know
who will adopt your pet if it
outlives you.
Birds are not terrific pets
for young children, who gen-
erally aren't patient enough
to appreciate a bird's re-
sponse. Also, youngsters
usually prefer pets that they
can touch and hold.
Rabbits, too, are increasing
in popularity, although ex-
perts are mixed in their feel-
ings about their appropriate-
ness as house pets. Some say
rabbits are affectionate and
like to sit in their owners'
laps and enjoy being walked
on a leash. Others say rabbits
are shy and don't enjoy being
held.
All agree that rabbits re-
quire a lot of care. Although
rabbits can be trained to use
a litter box, their cages need
to be cleaned regularly and
they need lots of exercise.
Also, they like to chew on
things around the house, so
many owners keep their rab-
bits in a hutch when they
can't supervise the pet.
One warning: Do not bring
in a wild rabbit from your
backyard and try to make
him your pet. Similarly, a
domesticated house pet rabbit
cannot fend for itself in the
wild, so bring it to an animal
shelter if you can no longer
care for it.
Fish are pretty and relax-
ing to watch but don't give a
lot of affection to their
owners. (For adult owners,
however, this might be bal-
anced by the lowered blood
pressure that has been cor-
related with watching fish).
More a hobby, like stamp col-
lecting, fish don't provide the
same satisfying companion-
ship as do other types of pets.
Although common fish,
such as goldfish, are very af-
fordable, exotic varieties can
make this a very expensive
hobby.
Most fish don't live beyond
two years, and 20 percent die
within their first few weeks,
so they may provide an oppor-
tunity to teach children about
cosmic life-and-death issues.
They require a very stable
tank environment, and even
a subtle change in temper-
ature can cause illness.
Gerbils, hamsters and
guinea pigs are fun to watch
and can hold a child's in-
terest, but they are very noc-
turnal — and therefore most
lively (and often noisy) when
children are asleep. They are
also great escape artists, so
make sure their cage has a
secure closing. They also bite
quite frequently.
On the other hand, because
these animals lead a fairly
predictable existence, chil-
dren can feel like they're in
total control of these animals'
lives.
"I know kids who clean out
their gerbil's cage more than
they clean their own rooms,"
jokes Beck.
Ferrets are currently quite
popular as pets, but experts
are mixed in their enthusi-
asm, especially if the house-
hold includes young children.
Again, the key to a happy
relationship between a pet
and a family is supervision.
No child is too young to have
a pet, but the pet needs to be
supervised. All you have to do
is use caution to prevent a
problem before it happens.
Kids pull and poke to find out
how things work, and they
need to learn that animals
are alive, have feelings, and
will protect themselves if
they're afraid or hurt.
❑
Janet Ruth Falon is a writer
in Pennsylvania..
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