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Can someone please tell me how their adopted child reacted to the family pet? I am getting really nervous about this...I LOVE my dogs, and am scared the child will be afraid of my dogs, or worse, be mean to them! I will not allow it, but maybe I've gone through too much adoptive parent training, b/c they warn you adopted children can be mean to the family pet. HELP!!
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Every kid is different. We have 3 dogs, 3 cats, a rabbit, and a snake. All of them are rescues, most have been abused prior to coming to our home. The only thing we said flat out 'no' to with regard to kids we'd consider is a history of animal abuse. Our son was 15 when he was placed with us, 16 now, and he's absolutely phenominal with our critter crew. He considers one of the cats his kid (and me it's grandmother!). The dogs all love him and follow him around more than us most of the time. Our experience was good, but we were also careful with regard to what kid we selected due to the pets. Remember adopted kids are just like bio kids... they're a diverse crowed with diverse traits and behaviors. You can't assume that an adopted kid would be animal abusive any more than you can assume a bio kid would be pet friendly.
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I don't know what anyone's definition is of "older child", but we adopted a 3.5 year old and she has been awesome with our cat and loves to stop dogs on the road to pet them. She was in an orphanage prior to coming to us. We have had to teach her how to be nice, but the cat has been the most patient with her over all other kids. Good luck - I think it just depends.