Why are dogs becoming our new child?

As fertility rates plunge around the world, new family trends are emerging. Millions of people treat dogs like kids, with birthday parties, homemade snacks and social media accounts.

But what drives this “fur baby” phenomenon? And what does it reveal about the changing relationship between modern society and family? A new study from the University of Eötvös Loránd in Hungary suggests that dogs do not actually replace children, but may provide a way to meet the deep needs of fostering significantly fewer demands than raising human offspring.

Numbers behind the fur baby boom

The statistics feature impressive pictures. In most European countries, half of households currently own at least one dog. Meanwhile, the global fertility rate crashed to 5.3-2.3 births per woman between 1963 and 2023. In Hungary alone, 87.5% of adults spend less than an hour a week with their children.

But what’s interesting here is that 16% of Hungarian dog owners now consider their pets to be children. In some non-representative samples, that number jumps to 37%.

What is driving this shift? Researchers suggest that dogs represent what they call “ful compromises.” This is frustrating because it combines genetically embedded drives with dependent beings without the massive resource investment of raising biological children.

Why Dogs Make the Perfect “Practice Kids”

Dogs are not just random recipients of parental instincts. They are very suitable for roles like children, studies have shown. Their cognitive abilities are consistent with those of children aged 2-2.5 years. They can distinguish between happy humans and angry faces, follow pointing gestures, and even show emotional contagion.

Next is the reason for its cuteness. Small arm-facing bug breeds like pugs and French bulldogs are kept to look like infants forever, with large eyes and round faces that cause the same neural responses as human babies. Some dogs even have special facial muscles that wolves lack, allowing them to create their attractive “puppy dog ​​eyes.”

The dependency relationship also reflects parent-child dynamics. Urban dogs can’t decide what to eat, where to walk, or who to meet. Their owners control almost every aspect of their life, as they do for their young children.

Attachment Science

Perhaps most notably, the dog forms a genuine attachment bond with its owner, which reflects the relationship of the infant’s caregiver. Using an adapted version of a psychological test designed for children, researchers found that dogs exhibit the same behavioral patterns. They use owners as a “safe foundation” for exploring and a “safe shelter” during stress.

Brain imaging studies reveal the neurochemical reality behind these connections. When a mother sees a photo of her dog or child, similar brain regions are activated. “Love Hormones” oxytocin increases in both dogs and owners during interaction. This is the same chemical pathway involved in human parent-child bonds.

But dogs are not actually children

Despite the deep emotional connection, most people distinguish between dogs and human children when it matters. When faced with a moral dilemma, the majority choose to save the animal’s lives over animal pets.

“Despite the high dependence and attachment of dogs to caregivers, the commitment associated with ownership of many dogs remains less burdensome than parenting,” explains Laura Gillette, a doctoral student in the study, and the study’s lead author. “Of a number of factors, most people expect to live longer than a dog rather than a child, so a relatively short lifespan of a dog may contribute to that.”

Researchers have discovered that raising dogs takes many forms throughout people’s lives. The dog serves as the “pre-child” of young couples, and later becomes the “furry siblings” of biological children, and eventually becomes a companion to the empty nest.

Dark side treating dogs like babies

Treatment like this child is not necessarily beneficial for the dog itself. The demand for very infant characteristics has led to serious welfare issues, especially for flat breeds that are prone to respiratory dyspnea, eye problems, and shortening of lifespans.

“We would like to point out that contrary to popular belief, only a few dog owners actually treat pets like human children,” adds Eniko Kubinyi, head of the research group. “In most cases, dog parents choose their dogs because they are not like children and acknowledge their species-specific needs.”

Overprotective “parenting” can also backfire. Dogs that are carried everywhere and protected from normal social experiences often create behavioral problems such as aggression and fear.

What does this mean for modern society?

The rise of dog parenting reflects a widespread change in the way we form families and find meaning. As traditional kinship networks weaken and urban quarantine increases, pets may be meeting the basic human needs of caring for others.

Researchers emphasize that this is not necessarily replacing children with dogs. Instead, it may represent humans who adapt to dramatically altered social situations, maintaining our species’ cooperative reproductive instincts.

Key findings from the research include:

• Dogs’ cognitive abilities are consistent with those of humans between the ages of 2-2.5
• The attachment bond between a dog and owner reflects parent-child relationship
• Similar brain regions are activated when mothers see photos of dogs and children
• Most dog parents still prioritize human life over animal parents
• The role of dog parenting changes throughout the owner’s life stage

As society tackles declining fertility rates and changing family structures, relationships with dogs provide a window into how humans adapt their deepest social instincts to modern life. Whether a dog truly serves as a child’s replacement or simply meets complementary social needs, one thing is clear. The bond between humans and dog peers continues to evolve in ways that challenge traditional concepts of family.

This study is published in the journal European psychologistcurrently researchers are conducting global research to deepen their understanding of human dog relationships.