Why a cat or really can be the best girt. This Holiday Season, er the World of Erhard and Share the Good Life. 1 by Elizabeth Applebaum Gift Guide Editor F r :C,) our son and daughter are both celebrating a birth- day next week and they know exactly what they want. "And Dad we prom- ise, and we really mean it. We will take care of the dog all by ourselves. You don't have to do a thing! We'll walk him and we'll brush him and we'll feed him and we'll scoop his poop every day — you won't even have to ask us!" Two months later, you're out there in the back yard with a shovel, doing your duty. You already fed the dog his dinner. After your own dinner, you'll bring the pooch and give him a good brushing, just before you take him for a walk. Did you just make one of the biggest mistakes of your life? Should you have waited until your children were a little more mature, a little more responsible? No, says Dr. Andrew Dworkis of the Dworkis Dog and Cat Hospital in Southfield. "When is it a good time for a child to get a pet?" he says. "Anytime." "A child growing up with a pet has a friend like no other," he says. "He has a companion he can talk to and con- fide in and laugh with. He has a com- panion who will always be there for him, be there when no one else is." This, he says, doesn't just mean a happier child. It means a child who is healthier emotionally. Dworkis says, because owners can devote all their time acclimating the animal to the home. There will be time for helping a new pup learn why the word "carpet" is not a synonym for "toilet," or teaching a cat that a couch is actually a piece of furniture, not a scratching post. Then there is the family with a small child. This also is a great time to get a pet, Dr. Dworkis says, because "the child and a puppy can grow up together, which means tremendous bonding." Finally, a pet brought into a home with older children comes into a stable, settled environment, a house where boys and girls can learn responsibility by helping care for their little Fido or Fluffy. Whenever you decide to get your pet, parents should keep in mind that while children will reap most of the benefits, moms and dads may be doing a larger share of the work. "Get a pet, and it will be the child's responsibility to raise that pet — that's a bit of a myth," he says. "The kids already have so many responsibilities" — school, homework, sports, music, extracurricular activities, household chores — "when do we expect them to have time to take care of the pet, too?" Instead, caring for a dog or cat should be a "family responsibility," he says. "Having a pet is a healthy endeav- or for the entire family." The good life is something many people take for granted. But not at Erhard.,Whv you enter our world, you also enter vto of community involvement. 4,/ This season, test drive any vehicle '- from the World of Erhard and we'll donate 6 meals to Driving Away Hunger, our program to help feed the hungry. All proceeds will be donated to Forgotten Harvest. The World of Erhard is comprised of Erhard BMW Bloomfield Hills, Erhard BMW Farmington Hills, Land Rover Farmington Hills, Erhard Motorcycles and AutoMark Collision Center. Together, we host and dozens of fundraising events for local and national charities each ye Improving our community and enriching the lives of everyone in it brings us together as people. Erhard is proud to be a part of making this world a better world for everyone. AutoMark "LAND ,- -',ROVER collision center ENTER THE WORLD OF ERHARD 'Katz On Dogs When To Get Started There are three times when a family might opt for a pet. First is before the children are born. This is a good time to get a pet, Dr. Jon Katz worked as a reporter and edi- Erhard BMW of Bloomfield Hills Erhard BMW of Farmington Hills tor, a producer for CBS News, a novel- ist and a contributor to slashdot.org and Hotwired, the online magazine. Then his life went to the dogs. 4065 W. Maple Rd. 38700 Grand River Ave. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 Farmington Hills, MI 48335 (888) 307-7313 (888) 240-0344 Going To The Dogs on page 1 6 Land Rover Farmington Hills Erhard BMW Motorcycles AutoMark Collision Center 38200 Grand River Ave. 39933 Ford Rd. 24750 North Industrial Farmington Hills, MI 48335 Canton, MI 48187 Farmington Hills, MI 48335 (888) 240-0397 (734) 981-1479 (248) 473-8100 Visit us online at www.worldoferhard.com 1050830 JN GIFT GUIDE It • DECEMBER 2005 • 15