Calling the Shots: Managing Kids and Pets - a podcast by Ty Brown

Today I’d like to talk to you about a troubling sentiment that I hear quite a lot from new dog owners. It came to mind because of a conversation that I recently had with a client. This individual was explaining to me how they needed to get some training for their dog, who was aggressive toward cats, because they went to an adoption event and their daughter had to bring home a kitten. Those were their exact words: “She just had to have a kitten.” As soon as I heard that, my immediate thought was, “No, she didn’t. She didn’t need to have the kitten.”

Instead, this person had allowed their daughter to get a kitten. Furthermore, they had made a bad choice by bringing a cat into their home when they were already aware that their dog had obedience and aggression issues. This person was trying to do the right thing by finding a trainer for their dog. But this incident still shows an all-too-common problem: kids making decision about the family animals.

Now, don’t take this the wrong way. I love kids! In fact, I have four daughters myself, and my wife and I love them more than anything. We do as much as we possibly can for them. They go to dance camps and theatre camps and science and math events. That’s because we want our daughters to grow up with great experiences: we want them to meet a lot of people, see a lot of things, and come into contact with a lot of cultures. We want to raise well-rounded kids who turn into conscientious adults, so we’re constantly asking ourselves how we can give our kids more meaningful responsibilities.

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