While many families have pets, there hasn’t been much research done on the importance of child-pet relationships. Researchers with the University of Cambridge wanted to shed more light on these relationships by developing a system to test them. The study was published online in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology and will appear in the March 2017 print edition.
Source: AAHA NEWStat, February 6, 2017.
Matt Cassells, who led the study, explained the purpose in a press release, “We wanted to know how strong these relationships are with pets relative to other close family ties. Ultimately this may enable us to understand how animals contribute to healthy child development.”
INSIGHTS: Kids and pets go together naturally. Research like this will further explore the dynamics of the human-animal bond. Animal health pros need to consider the whole family as new pets are acquired. Help parents understand the importance of involving children in training and caring for pets for their own good, as well as the pets’.