Growing Up with Four-Legged Friends
There is something rather special about the relationship between a child and a dog.
After more than 20 years working with young children, I've seen countless examples of children becoming calmer, more confident and incredibly nurturing around animals. A shy child can suddenly light up when a dog enters the room, while a toddler who is still learning about empathy can become wonderfully gentle when they realise a puppy needs kindness and care.
And now, with our Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy Stella becoming part of life at Happy Childcare, I'm getting to watch those relationships develop all over again.
It's a subject particularly close to my heart, which is why I chose to explore it in my latest article for Mums & Tots Magazine: Benefits of Growing Up with Pets
My full article is published in the Autumn 2026 issue of Mums & Tots Magazine, out now and available to buy.
More Than Just a Family Pet
Dogs have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, but the relationship goes much deeper than companionship. For children especially, dogs can provide opportunities for connection, movement, confidence, responsibility and emotional development.
One of the things I find most fascinating is the unconditional nature of that relationship.
A dog doesn't care whether a child got every spelling word right, came first in sports day or is the most confident child in the class.
They're simply pleased to see them.
For a child navigating friendships, school pressures, big emotions or a difficult day, that non-judgemental companionship can be incredibly comforting. Children who find it difficult to express their feelings may even find it easier to talk to a beloved pet than to another person.
Building Confidence Without Children Even Realising
Some of the loveliest learning opportunities happen through ordinary everyday moments.
Helping to fill a dog's water bowl.
Learning how to gently brush their fur.
Throwing a ball.
Helping with training.
Going for a family walk.
These might seem like small things to us, but to a young child they can create a wonderful sense of "I can do this."
And every little success helps build confidence.
Dogs can even become a social bridge for children who are shy or anxious, giving them something to talk about and helping conversations and friendships develop more naturally.
Getting Children Moving
There's another benefit that's increasingly important in a world filled with screens: dogs get us moving.
Walkies don't care whether we'd rather stay on the sofa!
Family walks, throwing a ball in the garden, exploring the park or simply running around outside with a four-legged friend all encourage children to be active. Stella loves a car ride too!
But I think there's something else happening during those moments too.
Families talk.
Children explore.
Everyone gets some fresh air.
Screens are put away.
And sometimes a simple dog walk becomes an opportunity to reconnect after a busy day.
A Daily Dose of Nature and Connection
One of the unexpected benefits of welcoming Stella into our family has been just how much she has encouraged Paul and me to get outdoors too.
We walk her at least once every day, often through woodlands, around lakes and parks, or simply around our local community. Those daily walks have become about so much more than exercise. They give us time in nature, help us notice and appreciate our local environment and, perhaps most importantly, give us time to talk, reconnect and simply enjoy being outside together.
There's something very grounding about walking through the woods, watching the seasons change or stopping beside a lake while Stella investigates absolutely everything around her.
And Stella has brought another kind of connection too,connection with people.
It's amazing how sociable having a dog can be. People smile, stop to say hello and chat to us while we're out walking, and Stella nearly always steals the show.
In fact, on only her second walk ever, we took her to Cefn Onn Park and were stopped by a group of young women on a hen do. One of their challenges was to find the cutest dog in the park and have a photograph with them.
They chose Stella!
So there she was, just a tiny puppy on her second proper walk, posing for photographs with a whole hen party and thoroughly enjoying the attention.
It was such a funny, lovely little moment, but it also reminded me how animals have an incredible ability to bring complete strangers together.
A dog walk can start as something as simple as getting some fresh air and exercise, but it can become so much more, time together as a family, connection with nature, conversations with people in our community and those little spontaneous moments that make us smile.
Perhaps that's another gift dogs give us: they don't just encourage us to step outside, they encourage us to connect with the world around us.
Learning Empathy, Kindness and Boundaries
One of the greatest gifts animals can give children is the opportunity to care for another living being.
Children begin to recognise that dogs have feelings and needs too.
Is the dog excited?
Are they tired?
Do they want to play?
Or are they telling us they need some space?
Learning to recognise those signals can help children develop empathy, respect and an understanding of boundaries. Adults must always remain responsible for the animal's care and supervise interactions, but children can still take part in appropriate everyday tasks.
These are lessons that extend far beyond looking after a pet.
They're lessons about relationships.
Stella's definitely not a therapy dog, although she has become my unofficial therapy friend since going through treatment and recovery. She's a playful puppy who is still doing plenty of learning herself!
But already, Stella is creating lovely opportunities for us to talk with the children about gentle touch, kindness, caring for animals, understanding emotions and respecting boundaries.
And, of course, she brings plenty of laughter too.
I'm particularly looking forward to watching her grow alongside the children and seeing those relationships develop over the years.
I suspect there will be lots of learning, lots of giggles... and more than a few muddy paw prints along the way.
I've only touched on some of the ideas here.
In my full Autumn 2026 Mums & Tots Magazine article, I explore the mental, physical and emotional benefits of growing up with dogs in much more detail, including children's mental wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem, physical activity, empathy and responsibility, and the growing role of dogs within schools and childcare settings.
The Autumn issue of Mums & Tots Magazine is out now and available to buy.
And perhaps the biggest lesson our four-legged friends can teach children is also the simplest.
In a world that so often asks children to achieve more, do more and be more, dogs remind them that they can be loved simply for being themselves.
After all, every child deserves a friend who thinks they are wonderful exactly as they are.
Much Love, Em x
Emma Grant is an early years specialist, parenting coach and author with over 22 years' experience working with children and families. She is the founder of Mumatherapy® and Happy Childcare and author of The Only Potty Training Book Mum Will Ever Need Told By A Toddler Who's Learning Too!
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