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Adding a pet to your family can be the start of something beautiful or a disaster, especially if there are children in the mix. Parenting magazine offers this age-by-age guide to giving kids responsibility for a pet:
3 years and up: With parental supervision, they can fill up a water or food dish and keep up regular play periods with a pet, including throwing a ball for a dog or dragging a toy so a cat can play.
5 and up: School-age children can be more actively involved in pet training: teaching a dog to sit, talking to a bird. They also can help with grooming.
8 and up: As children get older, they can exercise a dog by walking it or tossing it a Frisbee at the playground. They also can help clean cages and litter boxes and bathe pets.
