Whiskers Enrich Children's Lives By Perri Klass M. D.

It is well known that many families have pets, and while some believe they would be putting their family in danger, others have proven this wrong. After analyzing six different sources of material there is strong evidence to support this. The first article titled, “Can Fido and Whiskers enrich Children's Lives”, written by Perri Klass M.D., is written by someone who originally was not fond of pets overall and concludes learning just how much pets can make a difference. The next article titled, “Why Having a Pet is Good for Your Health”, was written by Marie Carter and gives strong examples of positive interactions with animals. Article number three comes from the AKC website and is titled “The Many Ways Kids Benefit from Having a Dog”, that

Author Perri Klass, M.D. reveals, “There’s a common conviction, for instance, that living with a pet teaches children skills they can use in their social interactions with other humans” (Klass).The author confirms that do have different ways to interact with humans while those without pets may be less likely to interact. The American Kennel Club writers state, “Multiple studies showed that children who owned pets were more empathetic towards other” (The Many Ways...). This argument is necessary because empathy is normally something that is difficult to learn for most children, so if there is any easier way for them to learn why not use it? Dr. Becker writes, “Taking your dog for walks as a family can improve your child’s social skills as you interact with others” (Becker). Getting out of the house and taking the family dog for a walk allows for you and your children to get active and have the chance to get to know your neighbors, teaching your children how to start friendships. Author Matthews mentions, “What’s more, pet owners are more extroverted and less fearful than people who don’t own pets” (Matthews). Having less fear allows for people to actually enjoy their lives rather than holding back. Overall, people who originally grew up with pets have a greater sense of people skills that others do not

Whether it is to different types of dogs or any other animal related allergies, there has been studies to determine if living with animals can help avoid such allergies. Brown writes, “Children who are exposed to pet dander or any other animal allergens typically develop stronger immune systems. Even an adult’s immune system will become stronger after having been exposed to animal allergens for a certain period, and become capable of resisting other irritants” (Brown). The more someone is exposed to something, the more immune that person will become to it. Klass states, “Quite a few studies now suggest that early exposure to animals may have a protective effect. A recent review article that examined a large number of studies found evidence that in children with no family history of allergy, those exposed to dogs in the perinatal period may be less likely to develop allergies” (Klass). Animals can help children avoid allergies, allowing them to be able to go places without having to worry about whether or not they have animals. Matthews confirms, “In research conducted on young adults, those who had a pet in their home during infancy were approximately 50 percent less likely to develop an allergic reaction to animals” (Matthews). When living with animals, people can build up to an immunity to the allergens that they could possibly be exposed to later on in