By Lisa Cohn
Precious is the bond between kids and their dogs.
We read about this bond in beloved children’s books. In some classics, children learn about how child-and-dog duos love, support, and rely on each other. Among these beloved duos are Henry and Mudge, Emily Elizabeth and Clifford, Nate the Great and his pal Sludge, and Shaggy and Scooby.
These dynamic duos solve mysteries, make kids laugh, instill in kids a love of reading, and teach children to respect and care for animals.
In real life, the child-dog connection provides all these advantages—and more. Members of families with dogs are healthier, get more exercise, and enjoy lower blood pressure. What’s more, dogs helps kids who are autistic, diabetic, have seizures or other health problems. Our tail-wagging pals can prevent autistic kids from running into streets and prevent them from having meltdowns! You can read more about that here:
Article About Autistic Kids and Dogs in Dogster
Whether four-legged friends are service animals or pets, they’re important teachers.
Children with dogs learn to love, care for, and respect animals. Recently, our dog, Hudson, had hot spots—and then
a stomachache due to his antibiotics. Michael, age 6, helped take Hudson to the vet, weigh him, and clean and treat his hotspots. Michael also learned about how to make yummy homemade dog food—goodies suggested by the vet to boost Hudson’s overall health.
And dogs provide an irresistible fun factor.
Recently, we took a trip to the Oregon Coast, where Michael and I clowned with our pal on the beach. We threw balls, rolled down sand dunes, chased Hudson and laughed and laughed. It’s a cliché, but it’s true: It’s easy to live in the moment when you’re romping with a dog. My cell phone disappeared, I forgot about the time, and reveled in a technology-free afternoon immersed in fresh air, warm sun, and Hudson. We couldn’t stop giggling at his adorable face and nose stubbled with a sandy beard!
Such happiness is contagious, and we hope to spread it with our “Bash and Lucy” dog book series and blog. In our contemporary boy-and-dog books, a boy, Bash, enjoys a tight bond with his dog, Lucy. In fact, Lucy boosts Bash’s confidence in sports, and he’s a little uneasy without her nearby. Learn more about our first award-winning book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence” and our upcoming book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy,” by visiting www.BashAndLucy.com Got photos of kids and dogs to share? Please email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com! And please join us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BashAndLucy