The Right Pet at the Right Age

Choosing your child’s first pet can be a rewarding experience. It has been proven that children who own pets tend to be more caring and mindful, less anxious and on average, healthier. Owning a pet teaches responsibility, and can be great preparation for some of life’s inevitable lessons.

Pets however can be a lot of work, and when the child and pet are poorly matched, parents often become the primary carer, or are forced to re-home the animal. At Kellyville Pets, we are committed to making sure that pets and their new owners are matched correctly. The long term care of the animal is our primary focus, and if we do not believe that the animal is right for a particular home, we will endeavour to find a pet more suited.

As part of this commitment, we have prepared a chart that plots the complexity of care, to the appropriate age of ownership. This graph serves as a guide, but is not an absolute rule, as all children have varied levels of maturity, and a diverse range of interests. We advise you use your own judgement and knowledge of your child when helping them to select their first pet.