Any suggestions for a pet, for my 4 year old daughter?

I think shes a good age for a puppy, if you don't mind potty training again. As long as they have all their shots its a perfectly safe animal to have.

A pet is a big responsibility. Why don't you ask her to try e.g. neopets? It is a free online game that deals with virtual pets. If she can take care of virtual pets, then you can "upgrade" her to real pets. :P

Hello Aphroditei, Nice to visit with you again. Your Dad may be watching too much t.v., but he kind of has a point. Four can be very young for the responsibilities of pet ownership. It may not be as bad if your daughter is past the 'banging' stage. Many four year olds still 'bang' on things when they get excited. Sometimes, including their beloved furry friends. My nephew used to do this to the family dog 'Niko'. Niko never retaliated, but I suspect it's because he had the patience of Job. I'll share an alternative, that might buy you a little time until your daughter gets a tad older, and perhaps will help you figure out which type of pet she would most like. How about building a stuffed animal menagerie with her. You and she can pick out a stuffed pet together on regular intervals. Over a period of time, you'll begin to see which type of pet she's most fond of. Of course, you might want to avoid the "... lions, and tigers, and bears -- oh my!" She might develop an affinity for them, then you'd be in big trouble.

what about a goldfish,i got them for my kids and they love them,there easy to keep,just clean the water once a week and feed the every second day

Oh my friend you know what I'm going to say and do, a big lecture is coming on! I think your daughter, or any child for that matter, needs to grow up with a pet. They need to care for something and learn the discipline and responsibility and above all the unconditional love a pet gives back, in loving you. I think a puppy, would be the best, but you will have to go with a breed that is gentle, seeing that she is still very young, and small puppies are just like children and when they are teething they like to chew on everything, even human fingers will do! lol So you will have to teach both of them. The veterinarian will play a huge roll, you will have to get the puppy vaccinated and de wormed. To have an animal is a huge responsibility, and if you are not prepared to look after it's needs in a proper way then don't, reconsider. They look so cute and cuddely when they are little but, they grow up so quickly and if it is not disciplined and taught then it will become a burden to the owner and will lead to neglect and a tragic end to the story that started out sooo cute. I suggest a Labrador breed, they are by nature not very active, that is why they make excellent companion's for blind people and they are in general very found of children. I warned you in the beginning you are going to get a lecture of note, lol!!! It's just that I care about animals a great deal and alot of hardship and sad cruel endings could have been prevented in alot of cases where knowledge is the greatest preventer of a sad ending to both owner and pet. I hope this was informative and not a discouragement. Love Annie xx

Have you thought about goldfish? My daughter enjoyed it she even talk and sing to it I thought it was so cute. Her goldfish lived about 3 years and I was so surprised that it lived that long, she would help me clean the fish bowl and I let her feed her fish after she had the pet fish she ended up with a hamster and I though oh gross she took care if.

A bowl of fish or a turtle I had a turtle when I was little and fish they dont bite dont scatch and dont think they need any shots what so ever cant remeber my dad getting the little turtle a shot lol. We have 3 dogs but only one my grand daughter can have any thing to do with and he is old she chases him around the yard and trys to hug him he dont stand still to much .

I suggest that you try to give her parakeets or we call it lovebirds here in our country. You don't need to worry, because they're like scared of people, they just fly away and they're inside a cage anyway. Just always make sure that she'd be responsible enough to give them food and clean water and keep they're environment clean. It doesn't take a lot of task to take care of them. And it's cheap too.

i always have some dogs and some fishes. i have never had bad experiences with dogs while my children were still very young. dogs has always been around us even before i had kids. just make sure that the dog that you will get are not the harsh ones which bite. puppies which are friendly will either lick your hand or cower - too shy to be held by you at first but will never show any sign of anger or fighting. never buy a puppy which shows aggressiveness or a fighting stance at any instance.

i think u might give her a little rabbit as a pet. they r usually unharmful and also there's no chance of getting hurt by them!:) of course if u r not bothered about the cleaniness of ur house!lol another option could be a fish in the form of a pet though i think they need lots of care!:P

I have also a 4 years old daughter who wants to hae almost everything as a pet. If I listen to what she wants to have as a pet...I think I can start my own zoo...hehehe. Instead giving her her own zoo, we gave her some gold fishes. And she loves it....every morning when she wakes up, she go directly to check on her gold fishes and start feeding them. And I'm happy too because this kinda pet didn't really takes to much attention nor special care nor time nor mess in the house nor expensive. My personal opinion, give her some bowl with colourful fihses or small hamster/ rabbit.... Good luck !!!

rats make brilliant pets for smaller children particularly. they are easy to care for, calm and affectionate. they are also very intelligent and can be taught tricks. they are much less nervous than animals like hamsters or mice, so are less likely to nip. they are also large enough to handle easily.

I would like to get a lab for my daughter whos almost two. They're very kid friendly dogs. Good luck! The right one will choose you!

well, for a 4-year old, safe pets would be a fish in an aquarium, love birds in a cage, even the noisy parakeets are relatively safe... don't try animals with tempers yet, like cats and dogs. birds and fish only need regular feeding and a clean environment.

I understand your dad's concerns,Tei, but guess what? When I was her age our family had a pup.I don't remember him well but I have many photos with him,lol.I don't think a small pup would be a dangerous pet if you could teach her to love the pup.She'd have a nice friend to teach her being responsible and caring at a young age.I hope you find just the right one for her(^^,)

I would suggest a pet pomeranian dog ( white colored one ) for your little lovely daughter. She would very love the company of the pet dog which would definitely do no harm to her ..in stead it would lovingly be a companion and a playmate for years .

My son is also 4, and only recently we decided to get him a pet as well, actually as a reward for sleeping by himself. After a lot of tossing around several ideas, we settled on a guinea pig, then found out they are such social animals, it was best to have two, females if possible. We ended up with two males, but they have been great.

I have a 5 yr. old son...he has a small fishtank, a hamster, and a black lab (who is a little over a yr. old)...he takes good care of them...of course, me or his Dad often help with his dog...because he is quite large now and gets excited so easily...lol We began with the puppy...he was so small when we got him...but now he weighs almost 100 pounds....HAHA Then we got the fish and the hamster came last month on his birthday..... I think it teaches a child so much to learn how to care for and love a pet....feeds their nuturing side.... Good luck with finding her a pet, Aphroditei...

How about a duckling? A little yellow duckling. Kids are familiar with ducklings "Three little ducks...." remember the nursery rhyme? They've also had them in the tub before, right? So why not a live one to care for? Sure, sure the duckling needs its mom. But so too does the puppy. Anyway this is just a suggestion. The duckling could never harm your little kid. It can't even be serious about its peck, hehehe.

Hello aphroditei_5279. I think the best pet for your daugther is a pet fish. Your dad doesn't have to worry if it will bite her or scratch her. Fishes are not harmful pets in fact they are nice to watch. Kids can give them food. I hope you like my suggestion.