Why Dogs Are Becoming Our New Kids

As birth rates plummet worldwide, a new family trend is emerging: millions of people are treating their dogs like children, complete with birthday parties, homemade treats, and social media accounts.

But what drives this “fur baby” phenomenon, and what does it reveal about modern society’s changing relationship with family? New research from Hungary’s Eötvös Loránd University suggests that while dogs don’t actually replace children, they may offer a way to satisfy our deep-seated need to nurture—with significantly fewer demands than raising human offspring.

The Numbers Behind the Fur Baby Boom

The statistics paint a striking picture. In most European countries, a quarter to half of households now own at least one dog. Meanwhile, global fertility rates have crashed from 5.3 to 2.3 births per woman between 1963 and 2023. In Hungary alone, 87.5% of adults spend less than one hour per week with children.

But here’s where it gets interesting: 16% of Hungarian dog owners now consider their pet a child, according to a representative study. In some non-representative samples, that number jumps to 37%.

What’s driving this shift? The researchers propose that dogs represent what they call a “fulfilling compromise”—satisfying our genetically embedded drive to form bonds with dependent beings without the massive resource investment of raising biological children.

Why Dogs Make Perfect “Practice Children”

Dogs aren’t just random recipients of our parental instincts. They’re remarkably well-suited for child-like roles, the research reveals. Their cognitive abilities match those of 2-to-2.5-year-old children. They can discriminate between happy and angry human faces, follow pointing gestures, and even show emotional contagion—essentially “catching” their owner’s emotions.

Then there’s the cuteness factor. Small brachycephalic breeds like pugs and French bulldogs have been bred to look perpetually infant-like, with large eyes and round faces that trigger the same neural responses as human babies. Some dogs even have special facial muscles that wolves lack, allowing them to make those irresistible “puppy dog eyes.”

The dependency relationship mirrors parent-child dynamics too. Urban dogs can’t decide what to eat, where to walk, or whom to meet—their owners control nearly every aspect of their lives, much like parents do for young children.

The Attachment Science

Perhaps most remarkably, dogs form genuine attachment bonds with their owners that mirror infant-caregiver relationships. Using adapted versions of psychological tests designed for children, researchers found that dogs show the same behavioral patterns: they use their owners as a “secure base” for exploration and a “safe haven” during stress.

Brain imaging studies reveal the neurochemical reality behind these bonds. When mothers look at pictures of their own dogs and children, similar brain regions activate. The “love hormone” oxytocin increases in both dogs and owners during interactions, the same chemical pathway involved in human parent-child bonding.

But Dogs Aren’t Actually Children

Despite the deep emotional connections, most people still distinguish between dogs and human children when it matters. When faced with moral dilemmas, the majority choose to save human lives over animal ones, even their beloved pets.

“Despite the high dependency and attachment of dogs to their caregivers, in the eyes of many, commitments coming with dog ownership remain less burdensome than child parenting,” explains Laura Gillet, PhD student at the Department of Ethology and lead author of the study. “Among many factors, the relatively short lifespan of dogs might contribute to it, as most people expect to outlive their dog, but not their child.”

The researchers found that dog parenting takes many forms throughout people’s lives. A dog might serve as a “pre-child” for a young couple, later becoming a “furry sibling” to their biological children, and eventually a companion for empty nesters.

The Dark Side of Treating Dogs Like Babies

This child-like treatment isn’t always beneficial for dogs themselves. The demand for extremely infantile features has led to serious welfare problems, particularly for flat-faced breeds prone to breathing difficulties, eye problems, and shortened lifespans.

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

Overprotective “parenting” can backfire too. Dogs that are carried everywhere and shielded from normal social experiences often develop behavioral problems, including aggression and fearfulness.

What This Means for Modern Society

The rise of dog parenting reflects broader changes in how we form families and find meaning. With traditional kinship networks weakening and urban isolation increasing, pets may be filling a fundamental human need to care for others.

The researchers emphasize that this isn’t necessarily about replacing children with dogs. Instead, it may represent humans adapting to dramatically changed social circumstances while maintaining our species’ cooperative breeding instincts.

Key findings from the study include:

• Dogs’ cognitive abilities match those of 2-2.5-year-old humans
• Attachment bonds between dogs and owners mirror parent-child relationships
• Similar brain regions activate when mothers view pictures of their dogs and children
• Most dog parents still prioritize human lives over animal ones
• Dog parenting roles change throughout owners’ life stages

As society grapples with declining birth rates and changing family structures, our relationships with dogs offer a window into how humans adapt their deepest social instincts to modern life. Whether dogs truly serve as child substitutes or simply fulfill complementary social needs, one thing is clear: the bond between humans and their canine companions continues to evolve in ways that challenge traditional notions of family.

The study appears in the journal European Psychologist, with researchers currently conducting a global survey to deepen understanding of human-dog relationships.