Parenting Australia

Growing Up With Pets

When I was a child we had a selection of birds, cats, dogs, sheep, goats, fish and mice. I loved having pets – they were great for a chat or for a cuddle and offered friendship with no strings attached.

Now as a parent I have passed on this love of animals to my two boys. Even at three and eight months, Noah and Ethan already love our pets - and our pets love them back. We have two cats, two rabbits and eight chickens (although one chook only visits every few days!).

Although many visitors to our home might think they’re walking on to the set of the 1970s show The Good Life (which Harvey loves), they all comment on how much they love our animals. Some even leave wanting to buy some chickens for their back yard!
Johanna Baker-Dowdell

As he gets older Noah understands the important difference between a pat and a hit, or a cuddle and smothering when it comes to the cats. He’s learning the chickens aren’t always up for a game of chase with the broom and the rabbits don’t like to eat dirt from the garden, but he has an affinity with animals because they are part of his life.

Like most boys he likes anything that has wheels, but animals come pretty soon after in his list of favourites. Any book or TV show featuring animals is always a big hit, and I even get in to clean his back teeth by telling him to “roar like a lion”.

Besides the well-documented evidence that pets are good for your health to ease stress and promote companionship, I think having pets also teaches children how to treat animals, how to interact with other creatures and an understanding of nature. Although almost all of us will have a sad story about a pet dying when we were children, I don’t think any of us would say no to having a pet, knowing it would eventually die.

When the boys are older I hope having pets will also teach them responsibility by feeding the cats or cleaning out the rabbit hutch, but ultimately pet ownership showed me the meaning of unconditional love and I hope it will do the same for our boys too. To me there is nothing like a purring cuddle from our cats or the excitement the bunnies work themselves into when we walk near their hutch. It always brings a smile to my face, no matter what has happened earlier in the day.

So even though it’s a trial having to chase the chooks from the tomatoes, catch the bunnies somewhere in the garden if they escape, or convince the cats my knee isn’t a scratching post, I wouldn’t have it any other way. No matter what the situation, I think we will always have animals in our household.

Do you have family pets or aren’t you keen on our furry, feathered or finned friends?

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Johanna Baker-Dowdell is mum to two boys – Noah and Ethan – and combines looking after them with her work as a blogger, journalist, writer and public relations consultant. She owns and manages Strawberry Communications which started small in the third bedroom, but has grown into its own office space (in the converted garage).

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