Nearly half of all U.S.households now include a pet,and a vast majority of owners consider them part of the family—with 51%viewing pets as belonging“just as much as a human family member.”The pet sector continues to expand employment,creating roles from veterinarians to trainers and social media influencers.Yet,educational programs are struggling to train enough veterinarians to keep pace with demand.

This phenomenon aligns with what animal policy advocate Mark Cushing terms“the pet revolution”—the increasingly central role pets hold in American life.In his 2020 work Pet Nation,Cushing suggests that internet-driven loneliness has led people to invest more deeply in their pets,using them to compensate for dwindling human connections.

However,I contend a different shift has taken place,especially since COVID-19 lockdowns:Affection for dogs is now less an expression of isolation and more a reflection of widespread dissatisfaction with society and human relationships.

In my book Rescue Me,I examine how contemporary dog culture signals broader social distress rather than offering a remedy.Dogs aren’t merely substitutes for people.As a philosopher exploring human-animal-environment interactions,I believe Americans are increasingly turning to dogs to counter the decline of communal life.For many owners,relationships with dogs simply feel more fulfilling than those with other humans.

I share this perspective.Living with three dogs myself,my affection for them inspired me to study dog-owner culture to better understand people—myself included.Naturally sociable,dogs excel at connecting across species.Yet I observe many Americans placing on their pets expectations to solve problems beyond any animal’s capacity.

Choosing Dogs Over People

During the pandemic,many grew weary of the sameness imposed by constant closeness with other humans—partners,children,housemates.In contrast,bonds with dogs often grew stronger.

Adoptions from shelters increased,and social media feeds celebrated more time at home with pets.Hashtags like#DogsAreBetterThanPeople and#IPreferDogsToPeople are now common across Instagram and Pinterest.

Online marketplaces prominently feature slogans such as,“The more I learn about people,the more I like my dog.”

A 2025 study noted that dog owners often rank their pets above close human relations in areas like companionship and support.They also reported fewer negative interactions with their dogs than with partners,children,or relatives.

The renowned primatologist Jane Goodall,celebrating her 90th birthday surrounded by 90 dogs,remarked in an interview that she prefers dogs to chimpanzees—because chimps,she noted,are too much like humans.

A Fraying Social World

This deepening attachment to dogs coincides with a longer-term unraveling of America’s social fabric,a trend predating the pandemic.

In 1972,46%of Americans agreed that“most people can be trusted.”By 2018,that share had fallen to 34%.Americans now see friends less often—a“friendship recession”—and often avoid talking to strangers,anticipating unpleasant exchanges.Time spent at home has risen.

Millennials represent the largest share of pet owners today.Some cultural analysts suggest dogs offer this generation a sense of stability as other traditional milestones—homeownership,children—feel unattainable or unappealing.According to a Harris Poll survey,43%of Americans would choose a pet over a child.

Under these pressures,many seek comfort in pets—yet the expectations placed on dogs grow increasingly unrealistic.

For some,dogs provide affection,ease pressures to have children,counter workplace tedium,soften the stresses of competitive life,and encourage time outdoors.Others expect pet ownership to enhance their physical and mental wellness.

To an extent,it helps.Research indicates dog owners are often perceived as warmer and report greater happiness than cat owners.Engaging with pets can benefit health and may help protect cognitive function.Prison dog-training programs have been linked to lower reoffending rates.

Unsustainable Expectations

But asking dogs to fill the social and emotional voids in our lives ultimately hinders their well-being—and our own.

Philosophically,this resembles an extractive relationship:humans use dogs for emotional labor,drawing from them what they cannot—or no longer wish to—obtain from other people.Like resource extraction,such dynamics cannot last.

Cultural theorist Lauren Berlant described late capitalism as fostering“slow death,”a condition where building a life and depleting it become one and the same.Keeping up is so draining that maintaining existence requires acts that gradually degrade it—whether through unsustainable workloads or partnerships pressured by social expectation.

Similarly,today’s dog culture fosters unhealthy,untenable patterns.Veterinarians worry that the“fur baby”approach—treating pets as human children—can harm animals,as owners pursue unnecessary treatments,tests,and medications.Pets left alone for long hours suffer boredom,chronic stress,and related health issues.And as pet numbers climb,so do surrenders,overburdening shelters.

So where do we go from here?Some philosophers and activists call for pet abolition,maintaining that keeping animals as property is ethically unjustifiable.