children should have a pet or an animal to look after.

It is often said that children benefit from caring for domestic animals, especially in today’s technology- focussed world. However, theissueis not entirely straightforward, and arguments can also be made against the idea. This essay will discuss the debate, and give a concluding view. On the one hand, those who support the ownership of pets citethe various benefits that the activity can bring to a child. Theserangefrom understanding nutrition, to learning about biology and daily routines. Forexample, food selection and exercise activities contributeto this strand of development, which adds greatly to a child’s all-round education. Another argument is theemotional support that children receivefrom pets, meaning that the child feels moresecure and thus more confident. By contrast, opponents of this view point out that not all children livein a situation where pet keeping is advisable, oreven possible. Examples can beseen in less affluent countries, wheretheexpense of maintaining a pet may be prohibitive. In addition, many children livein unstablefamily environments, dueto such issues as unemployment or political turbulence. For thesefamilies, pets would probably suffer neglect, meaning that it would be unfair to keep them, or possibly even dangerous. Finally, it must besaid that not all young people actually want to keep a pet, becausetheir interests lieelsewhere. For these youngsters, animal ownership should not beencouraged. Overall, it seems advisablethat the decision to keep a pet should be based on a child’s interest, ability and family circumstances, rather than on a general view that ‘all children’ should have animals. It would appear that this serves theinterests of both the children and the pets involved.