Maybe a dog would be better for kids? Something big enough that they can't accidently hurt. believe it or not, I had a pitbull that was absolutely IN LOVE with kids and the great thing was they couldn't hurt him (including my autistic nephew) Of course, they're illegal in Ontario, but you might want to research some of the tougher breeds. I think they make awesome "kid" dogs cause usually it's when they accidently hurt a dog is when its knee-jerk reaction is to bite. .. Thanks so much for the rep. I think a fellow SCer is going to adopt Reggie. . .isn't that great?!