Good Hygiene Practices Are Important if You Own Pets

Pets are more than good companions and great playmates for children. Owning them can teach kids about responsibility, kindness and the importance of health care.

In fact, according to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association, owning pets can provide a number of health benefits for us. Petting and talking to an animal lowers blood pressure and stress levels. Aquarium viewing is a proven stress buster. Pet owners make fewer visits to the doctor. Pets increase the survival rate of people with heart problems.

The APPMA’s 2007–2008 National Pet Owners Survey reports that 71.1 million U.S. households own a pet. Dogs and cats are the most popular. Even reptiles are residents of more than 13 million homes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/healthypets, there are some important rules you should follow if you have children and pets:

Children younger than 5 years old should be supervised while interacting with animals.
Children shouldn’t be allowed to kiss pets or to put their hands or other objects into their mouths after handling animals.
Children under five should avoid contact with reptiles, amphibians, chicks and ducklings.
Children’s hands should be washed thoroughly with running water and soap after contact with animals.

The CDC says it’s best to wash your hands by vigorously scrubbing with soap and clean running water for about 20 seconds. SquidSoap by Airborne^® is an educational, entertaining and effective way to teach your kids good hygiene habits, without sacrificing quality time with your pets.

“It’s tough to get children to wash their hands regularly, let alone for about 20 seconds,” says Elise Donahue, CEO of Airborne, Inc. “SquidSoap makes hand washing easy, fun and effective. Kids and parents love it. We believe SquidSoap is going to change the way parents and children think about hand washing.”