Growing up alongside a pet can be a wonderful experience for a child, so it is essential to think about the needs of everyone in the home and ensure the relationship works for both people and pets. 

Many parents look for advice on how to get these relationships right, so in this episode of The Petcast, Emma is joined by Kerry Taylor from the Blue Cross Educational Team, to discuss the many different species that may be a wonderful addition to a family home – and how everyone can work together to ensure that their chosen pets have a happy, healthy life.

From tips on how to get your children thinking responsibly about pet care, to the common mistakes to avoid when introducing a pet to young children, Kerry and Emma have a candid conversation around the key things to consider when welcoming a new pet into your family and home. 

On top of these tips and tricks, Kerry also speaks about how some social media platforms and trends might be more harm than fun when it comes to filming our pets: 

“You have to think, is this fun? When you look at some of these videos of the trend of scaring your pet and seeing their reaction, or getting in their face and seeing how they react … we are putting pets into a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable, scared and they can’t tell us. In some of these videos, you can see their body language – dogs with wide eyes and their ears are back showing they are worried.

“What worries me is people watching these videos in society, especially young children… and thinking that it is okay to put animals in that situation. I understand that people think it is a little bit of fun, but when you look at it, it’s not nice to put our pets in that situation.”

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