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If your child is under age 10, don’t expect him or her to assume responsibility for a pet.

“Most kids are not prepared to take charge until they are at least in their mid-teens,” Sheldon L. Gerstenfeld, head of Chestnut Hill Veterinary Hospital in Philadelphia, tells Parents Magazine.

“You should wait until your child is at least 10 or 12 years old before you allow him to walk a dog alone–he should have the strength to control the dog in an unpredictable situation.”