We chatted to Adam Tjolle MRCVS, the pet care advisor for our new series My Pet and Me (weekdays at 4.15pm from Monday 24th November 2014) about his role in making the series...
Hi Adam, can you tell us a bit about your role in My Pet and Me?
I’m a vet with over 20 years’ experience in practice, I am very lucky to work with some fabulous pets, vets, nurses and clients at one of Scotland's leading veterinary hospitals.
I was a pet care advisor for My Pet and Me, and it was my job to make sure that the individual pets’ welfare was always considered during the filming.
Do you think owning a pet can be good for children?
Pets are great for kids as they make excellent friends, can be a real comfort and actually help to teach children responsibility and consideration.
All sorts of different animals make good pets for children – there’s a pet for everyone out there, whether it’s furry, feathered or scaly! That said, getting a pet isn’t something that you should ever take lightly or do on the spur of the moment. There are lots of things you should consider first, for example, do you have the time to spare for looking after and training a pet, can you provide the right facilities and environment for that pet to thrive?
Do you have any advice for parents about how to help children handle the death of a pet?
Coping with the loss of a pet is so hard – even for adults who understand the world more – and for a child it can be especially upsetting and confusing.
Despite that, experiencing the loss of a pet can be one of life's great lessons. I think the best strategy is to always be truthful and take as much time and care as your child needs to explain and talk about what’s happened.
How did you find the experience of filming My Pet and Me?
They say you should never work with children or animals – but My Pet and Me did both brilliantly! We met so many fabulous pets – every type of animal is in the show... from stick insects to ponies, and they all shine in their own way!
My Pet and Me is on CBeebies on weekdays at 4.15pm from Monday 24th November 2014.
Visit the My Pet and Me website.
If you don’t have pets at home, your child can look after their own virtual pet hamster in the My Pet and Me game.
Advice on handling the death of a family pet from the Blue Cross pet bereavement service.
