How old is old enough for children to have a puppy?

I would be very cautious around the 1 year old, kids at that age don't understand what is good and bad and they could hurt a puppy resulting in the child being bitten, without either of them being deliberately bad. My son was brought up with a doberman, she was 2 when he was born, she weighted in at over 120 pounds and she thought of him as her puppy. She was always by him and watching over him. He used to teethe on her ears, sometimes gnawing on them until they bled. Not sure if a pup would be able to take that kind of treatment. I would wait a bit.

Sure they are! It's a great time. We got our dog when my children were 1,2 and 6 and they all adjusted just fine. It's a great way to teach them responsibility and I think it helps to avoid any fears they may have later in life. My youngest was actually terrified of dogs when we got ours , and my dog is HUGE! lol. She loves dogs now and they all know the proper way to act around animals.