This study investigates parental attitudes, family size, and structure, and presence or absence of household pets as influences on children's attitudes toward pets. 700 parents completed a Melson Parent Questionnaire which assesses children's activities with, interest in, and responsibility for pets, and completed either the Wilson Attitude Inventory for Pet Owners or for Nonpet Owners. Results indicated: that children of strongly attached adults and in pet-owning homes scored higher on Activities and Interest than children of weakly attached adults and in nonpet-owning homes; that children of both sexes in one-parent homes scored higher on Responsibility than in two-parent homes; that boys scored higher on Interest, girls on Activities, and both sexes on Responsibility when mothers worked full time rather than part-time; that girls scored higher on Interest and, in pet-owning homes, on Responsibility than boys; that preschoolers scored lower on Activities and Interest than older children, and that grade schoolers scored higher on Responsibility than preschoolers or high schoolers.