Dog Owners Discuss A Worrying Trend - Parents Not Wanting To Help Their Kids With “Their” Dogs

Kids can handle some responsibilities, but not all of them. Unless you are willing to give your kid your wallet and car keys.

Damjan

• Published in Animals
• August 28, 2022

Kids love dogs. Adults love dogs.

Yes, all people love dogs. But loving from far and owning are two different things.

Sure, dogs are the best friends in the world, and they are always in the mood to play. But what about when the playtime is over?

Well, they need to be fed, cleaned, bathed, groomed, cleaned up after… Yes, living with a dog brings on many responsibilities and duties.

But who is responsible for taking care of the dog? Some people love to call their pets “family” pets, regardless of which family member it belongs to.

On the other hand, some people point out that the dog belongs to a specific family member. Does that mean that only one family member should be in charge of taking care of the pet?

What about kids who own pets? One Reddit user addressed that issue, as they are noticing a worrying trend emerging.

They wrote:” Okay, so I have read an excessive amount of posts here that have either a child (someone under the age of 18 and still living with their parents) asking for help with training, medical care, or general care for their dog since their parents refuse to take care of "their child’s dog" or parents complaining that their children aren't taking care of "their" dogs.”

They continued: “Children are in no way capable of taking care of a dog on their own. They do not have the time (with school in the picture) nor the emotional capacity (puberty and figuring out life is hard enough) or the financial or independency related means (like money for medical care and a car to drive the dog to a vet) that is needed to do this.”

Manny Redditors have joined the discussion, and we are showcasing some of the most interesting answers. Take a look:

One Redditor says:

They are finding more and more posts from teens asking for advice about their dogs, and they don't have enough support from their parents

Family dogs should never be solely the child's responsibility

And kids should make their parents realize that

OP posted an update to make the title clearer

Redditors agree, and some of them shared their (good) experiences:

Kids' responsibilities should be kid-appropriate.

When that's the case - everything evolves naturally. And yields wonderful results.

Kids should help from a young age.

And as they are growing up - the workload can increase gradually.

Some Redditors are surprised these things are happening

Others are not:

And it is heartbreaking. Basically, a child's been told that they have to do something about the problem, but they cannot.

This is a wonderful example of how things should be done:

And this is how a bond is created

A pet is a family member, and as such, it needs and deserves all family members’ attention, regardless of who the official owner is. Kids can be responsible for some duties, but they need help from their parents.

And parents should listen to their kids when they say that something is wrong with Fido, not just send them off with the usual “don’t believe everything you read online “ sentence.

Damjan