DD ANIMAL NEWS: 11.5.2025: For many people, pets are more than just companions — they’re family.
This Mother’s Day, it’s worth celebrating all the dog and cat ‘moms’ who pour their love, time, and care into their furry family members. With global fertility rates declining, a growing number of individuals are choosing to adopt dogs and cats instead of raising children. This trend is reshaping how humans view and treat their pets, according to a new study published in Sage Journal.
Dr. Shelly Volsche, the author of the study, surveyed 917 dog and cat owners about their caretaking behaviors.
Her findings revealed that child-free pet owners often view and care for their pets as they would for children, emphasizing their animals’ species-specific needs.
“With basics taken care of, people can focus on higher-order psychological needs like feelings of achievement and a sense of purpose,” Volsche wrote. “The scene is set for people to actively choose to focus on pets instead of children.”
Understanding the Bond
Volsche found that non-parents reported higher levels of attachment to their pets than owners who also had children. This deep connection is not merely about filling the void left by a lack of human offspring. Instead, it reflects a genuine emotional bond.
“They were not unthinkingly replacing human children with ‘fur babies’ by treating them like small, furry humans,” Volsche explained. “Rather, they emphasize fulfilling the species-specific needs of their dogs and cats.”
A Natural Instinct
Caring for animals, it turns out, may be deeply rooted in human biology. Volsche suggests that the phenomenon might be linked to a behavior known as “alloparenting” — the care of offspring that are not biologically one’s own.
“This means it is literally in our DNA and our ancestral history to help care for offspring who are not our own,” she wrote. “If people evolved to alloparent, and our environment is now making caring for children more difficult or less appealing to some, it makes sense for people to alloparent other species entering their homes.”
The ‘Pawternity’ Debate
The growing emotional investment in pets has even sparked debates about whether pet owners should receive similar benefits to parents of human children. Roger Wade, the CEO and founder of Boxpark, recently shared a viral LinkedIn post asking whether an employee’s request for puppy paternity leave — or “pawternity” leave — was reasonable.
“One of my staff has asked for paternity leave because he has a new puppy,” he wrote. “What do you think?”
The post quickly gained traction, drawing over 2,000 comments from people with strong opinions on both sides.
“If taking a few weeks for Pupternity/Pawternity is something that is going to help that person mentally to then be more productive moving forward then surely this can only be a good thing?” commented Sarah Stoughton, an account manager.
Others, however, felt the idea was a step too far. “Some of us with multiple kids can’t always make every appointment, every Sports day or Parent’s evening. Because? Work pays the bills,” said Steve Gibbons, a risk management consultant.
Honoring Pet Moms Everywhere
As society continues to evolve, the way we view our pets will likely change as well.
But this Mother’s Day, it’s clear that the love, care, and commitment that pet moms show their furry family members is just as real and profound as any other form of parenting.
