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why Last Hope does not adopt baby puppies and kittens to families with children under 4

Last Hope has a long standing policy to not adopt baby animals into families with children under 4 years old. History shows that children under 4 will be hurt by babies animals. Like our picture, little children have no reasoning capabilities, they only know what their senses tell them. Piaget taught childhood development and deliniated four basis stages of cognitive reasoning in children.

Preoperational Thought (2 to 6/7 years)

At this age, according to Piaget, children acquire representational skills in the area of mental imagery, and especially language. They are very self-oriented, and have an egocentric view; that is, preoperational children can use their skills only to view the world from their own perspective.

Children within this age range cannot think in terms of consequences or the results of their actions. They cannot look at an animal and wonder whether or not the dog, puppy, cat or kitten is scared, angry or ready to bite or scratch. Children in this age group are more likely to be injured by an animal.

Concrete Operations (6/7 to 11/12 years)

Children in the concrete operations stage are able to take into account another person’s point of view and consider more than one perspective simultaneously, with their thought process being more logical, flexible, and organized than in early childhood. Piaget would argue that they cannot yet understand logical outcomes or solve abstract problems, and that they are not yet able to consider all of the logically possible outcomes. This is an excellent age group to have their first pet. They have the ability to look beyond themselves and can help in the care of a family pet.

Formal Operations (11/12 to adult)

Persons who reach the formal operation stage are capable of thinking logically and abstractly. They can also reason theoretically. Piaget considered this the ultimate stage of development, and stated that although the children would still have to revise their knowledge base, their way of thinking was as powerful as it would get.

Footnote: Pam Silverthorn, http://chd.gse.gmu.edu/immersion/knowledgebase/theorists/constructivism/Piaget.htm Helen Kellar Institute

Second article: Kids and Dogs

Kids and Dogs

Last Hope has had over 20 years of experience in placing dogs with families with children.

We have found what works in placing dogs in homes so that the dogs are in forever families, even if it takes a little longer to find that family!

Statistics show that small dogs bite more often than big dogs. Small dogs feel trapped when cornered and will bite to get away. However, big dogs do more damage. Children’s faces are at the right height to get bit in the face.

“Once a biter - always a biter.” It takes 2 years of work and training with only 20% chance of success to try to get a dog to stop biting. Purebreds bite more often than mutts. Shelters more often put down (euthanize) mutts if they bite, where purebreds go to purebred rescue groups who place them.

Children under 6 do not understand the difference between a stuffed animal, a cartoon and a living creature. When children under 5 get mad, they hit and throw. They do not care who is in their way. Small dogs are fragile and can easily break legs by falling on them, tripping, stepping, or dropping them. Preschoolers are not consciously aware that this can happen.

Once a child has hurt a dog, the dog will not forget and will never trust any child again.

A small dog from a puppy who “will get raised and get used to children” are how Last Hope gets adult dogs. They were puppies with small children and now they bite those children or neighbor’s children. Families that have children, have children coming over to play with their children. Those friends may not know how to treat a dog. If a dog bites a neighborhood child that your child plays with, you could be sued.

Big dogs knock over people of any size more often than little dogs. Big dogs knock down children more often by a foot, tail or just running for a ball.

With this in mind our policy is not to adopt any dog to families with kids under 5. With dogs and puppies that weigh less than 20 lbs, they will bite children. Smaller dogs have a startle reflex and they bite. You cannot train a dog to not have a startle reflex. It is a protection mechanism. For this reason, the youngest child in the family must older than 5 years old.

Other dogs may be deemed best with kids 10 and up because they have growled at younger children, play ruff, or play-bite, or jump up.

When Last Hope volunteers have made an exception do those rules, the dogs or puppies come back 100% of the time within 6 months! Do you want to grow attached and then have to return your dog to Last Hope? Last Hope fosters have been educated and convinced, over and over, that no family is different.

However, there are humane societies and that will adopt to anyone. Also, pet stores do too. Private parties will also. We know that, because we get a lot of calls from parents wanting to surrender dogs that have bit or knocked down their children that have adopted dogs from those places.

It is hard to raise a preschooler or two at a time. Many times when a family takes on a dog, the dog doesn’t get the attention it needs. It ends up on a tie out outdoors because kids should come first. Potty training children and a dog at the same time are very stressful on a family. Watching a child and a dog (dogs have a 2 year old mentality) at the same time impossible 100 % of the time. It only takes once for the dog to bite. We feel that raising preschoolers are more important than owning a dog!

It may take a little longer to find a perfect home, but we know it will be permanent!