One Lie You'll Get Over, Rover!! ... blog by Shelley Carppe

Kids will promise you many things to get you to agree to having a dog.  At least one of them is a lie. It's about the poop. They'll tell you they'll clean up the poop. Nay, they will PROMISE they'll pick up the poop. They won't. At least none of mine did. Not without frequent reminders, (read: cajoling, bribery, and threats), and sometimes not even then. Unless I wanted my backyard to be a poop minefield, it usually fell on me to clean it up.

Do I regret getting a dog for my kids? Not for a minute. Not for one micro-second. If your kids, tweens, or teens have been hassling you to get a dog - do it! Here's just some of the reasons why:

1:  As above, it's true - dogs have been proven to lower anxiety. In fact, patting a dog can lower your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, slow your breathing, reduce muscle tension and reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, while increasing oxytocin, the "love" hormone.

2: Increase activity: that's right, having a dog encourages our kids to get outside and take a walk. Fresh air, sunshine, and exercise, three things our kids don't generally get enough of these days.

3: Love and affection: often our teens are pulling away from physical affection from their parents, but it doesn't mean they need it any less. A dog won't get offended if your teen isn't in a "huggy" mood - but they won't give up demanding affection, either, and they'll usually get it!

4: Social skills: pets are an easy topic of conversation, and often can help youth feel more confident in social settings - particularly for autistic youth.

5: Anti-depressants: that's right, a dog can act as an anti-depressant. When the world turns dark and our youth feel like there's nobody who will listen or understand, a dog will always be there for them. They can talk and download and cry if they need, and their faithful companion will do exactly the right thing ... just lie there and listen.

6: Connection: vitally important to teenagers, having a strong connection with their dog has also been shown to encourage strong connections to family and community.

There are lots more reasons to welcome a dog into your home, but I'm pretty sure you're convinced already, right?

I could go on, and on, and on, but I won't ....  I'll just leave you with the photos below, of my three grand-dogs. That's right, all of my girls have a dog of their own - they've all left home now, and it's been a year since we've had the pitter patter of doggy footsteps in our home. Watch this space....