Dog's Best Friend: An Activity Book for Kids and Their Dogs
For Ted the best partner and playmate of all
Foreword he relationship a child forges with a companion dog can last a lifetime The friendship the shar ing the bond will stay with that child well into adult hood When reminiscing many people naturally dwell upon a special dog friend they had as children They may be purebred or mixed They may be big and galumphing or small and spritely They may be lazy hyper furry slobbery silly or majestic But in the end they are friends Often a dog is the first exposure a child has to the wider world of responsibility Lessons of duty and commitment frequently come in the guise of a canine companion Dogs depend upon people for all of the things s they need to lead happy healthy lives and children can play an important part in their care A Dog s Best Friend is a wonderful guidebook to help children develop a friendship with their dogs through participation and understanding The activities laid out in this book have been designed to maximize children's interactions with their pets Some activi ties emphasize direct involvement such as adminis tering proper feeding or recognizing when vet care is required Others though develop intangible yet equally important aspects of friendship such as
sharing and discovery with ideas ranging from creat ing appropriate gifts for a dog to learning about the history of dogs These activities are safe when all directions are fol lowed and under adult supervision and will help to promote a deep caring bond between children and their dogs Such a bond is invaluable not only to the specific relationship between child and pet but also to the development of the child's awareness of the needs of others human and nonhuman alike Com passion caring and kindness become happy acci dents upon the path to friendship Take a moment Peruse the book See the many ways in which a child can enhance his or her understand ing of a pet Participate in the activities with a child Then see that child develop a friendship and memo ries that will last a lifetime John Caruso director of humane education The Anti Cruelty Society
