PETS- THE CREATOR OF KIND HUMANS

Written by Sal Salafia, Certified Avian Specialist, Founder of Exotic Pet Birds Inc.

4H clubs, Aquarium clubs, Cockatiel society, AFA, TICA and even the AKC are organizations that have inspired awe in pets of all shapes and sizes in our youth. These clubs exist because humans not only enjoy having pets, they enjoy showing them off to each other. Humans have proven that they love to create the perfect example of the pets they love most. The result is we have millions of pet owners who love competing to create the perfect pets of the species they love. That pursuit of excellence isn’t being done out of hate, but out of love. Love of the breed. It’s being done by people who love to research and to educate others about their beloved species of choice. This pursuit of excellence isn’t being ignored by the children raised in families that engage in this process. The amount of love and energy these people are providing is going to be naturally flowing down to the children in the family who work alongside their parents, “learning to love”. These organizations have standards for members to hold, they have rules and regulations and they create better pet owners through their education. The families that engage in these organizations will quickly share how their children engage and want to participate. Children engaged with families that support clubs like learn a great deal of responsibility.

That said, millions of children are also out there not engaging in organizations like the above. They are still getting the opportunity to learn about pet care. They are benefiting from the many amazing skill sets we humans should have as we grow up. The process to learn to care for something that is reliant on you for survival is not something we, in this current state of humanity, should let go of. The process to learn to love, care and support is not learned in video games, it’s not learned at the movies.

Young pet owners grow exponentially as humans because they develop the following:

1. Emotional Development

Empathy & Compassion: Caring for a pet helps kids learn to recognize the needs and feelings of another living being. Feeding, grooming, and comforting an animal nurtures empathy.

Emotional Regulation
Animals offer unconditional affection and are great sources of comfort. Children often find it easier to talk to a pet when they’re upset, which can help them process emotions more calmly.

Confidence & Self-Esteem
Successfully caring for a pet—teaching a trick, cleaning a bowl—makes children feel capable and responsible.

2. Social Development

Communication Skills: Kids often talk to pets, which helps them practice verbal skills in a low-pressure environment. Pets also act as “social bridges,” helping children connect with peers (“I have a dog too!”).

Responsibility & Routine
Daily pet care teaches discipline, reliability, and follow-through—skills that carry over into school and relationships.

3. Physical & Cognitive Benefits

Increased Physical Activity: Pets like dogs encourage kids to move more—walking, running, playing. This supports physical health and energy regulation.

Curiosity & Learning About Biology
Kids naturally ask questions about their pets’ bodies, behavior, and needs, encouraging science learning and observational skills.

4. Mental Health & Well-Being

Stress Reduction:
Interacting with animals has been shown to lower stress hormones and increase “feel-good” chemicals like oxytocin.

Sense of Belonging
Pets offer companionship and help kids feel less alone, especially during difficult periods like moving or family changes.

5. Moral Growth

Understanding Life Cycles: Pets teach kids about life, health, aging, and sometimes death, helping them develop resilience and a deeper understanding of the natural world.

Now we covered that young people who belong to organizations can get a great deal of pet exposure. Yet I also covered that there are millions of kids that don’t belong to these organizations and are still getting this important life skill set training. They are learning it from their local pet shops!! The system that has spent generations helping to create better humans is at risk this year, as there is a well-organized attack against it. These shops have been extremely important in shaping young minds and teaching the proper way to love and support pets. The result, pet stores are helping humanity and creating better humans for their communities.

As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I get it. There are bad people in this world. There are those who don’t do the right thing. They aren’t doing it the right way or the ethical way. There are also mentally ill people who are not recognized or restricted as they should be so they are creating a fuzzy gray line in our world and we are at a crossroads. Do we need to stop everything and change an entire system that for years and years, has done so many wonderful things for our humanity? NO, we go out there and we learn what we did as young pet owners! We care for those who can’t care for themselves. We set restrictions and guidelines and boundaries. We don’t shut down the infrastructure we use to regulate and support. We enforce the laws our country has and support those who are underpowered to do what they need to enforce current regulations.

For example, a DEC officer told me the other day, the laws in my state are currently written in a way where they know a problem exists, they have identified but they don’t have the power to stop the bad guy. This is madness. The law was written poorly enough that it left shades of grey, preventing the animal abuser from being prosecuted. I know of one breeder who had animals confiscated several times because he openly broke the law many times. However, the laws don’t stop him from being permitted to be a seller. Yet ethically run, properly set up places like mine are grouped together in the same category as animal abusers. No, I’m sorry, that is not ok. We work hard to educate, we help support rescuers, we help with direct rehoming and we grow new ethically raised babies for families to enjoy. The scenarios where people break the law should not be compared to organizations that ensure good to happen in their operations.

Stop only the bad guys- how about we do that for a change? Don’t beat up the good guy because a bad guy or a sick guy exists. Help the sick and bad stop existing. Help your law enforcement shut down bad places. Give support to the enforcement side of the world. You know the sad fact: when you break down enough good people for the sake of stopping a bad guy, you are creating a system where people have motivation to care about much of anything anymore. This means all the good that formative pet care did for us all as young people can fade away from the frustration of being treated like a bad guy. This is the scariest fact of all.