Are We Loving Our Pets to Death?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Pets are more popular than ever. Roughly two-thirds of American homes have at least one pet, up from 56 percent in 1988,according to the American Pet Products Association, and Americans spent $136.8 billion on their pets in 2022, up from $123.6 billion in 2021. An estimated 91 million households in Europe own at least one pet, an increase of 20 million over the past decade. The pet populationin India hit 31 million in 2021,up from 10 million in 2011.
And our pets are becoming ever more like us — or at least, that seems to be our goal. We pamper them with customized nutrition plans and knapsack carriers, dog hydrotherapy and stays in boutique cat hotels. At All the Best, a high-end pet store chain in Seattle, the most popular items are feline and canineenrichment toys, designed to stimulate them and bring happiness to animals that increasingly “are lying around alone and bored,” said Annie McCall, the chain’s marketing director.
Now some animal welfare ethicists and veterinary scientists are wondering if, in our efforts to humanize our pets, we’ve gone too far. The more we treat pets like people, they argue, the more constrained and dependent on us our pets’ lives have become, and the more health and behavioral issues our pets develop.
“We now view pets not only as family members but as equivalent to children,” said James Serpell, an emeritus professor of ethics and animal welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. “The problem is, dogs and cats are not children, and owners have become increasingly protective and restrictive. So animals are not able to express their own doggy and catty natures as freely as they might.”
The health risks begin with breeding, of course. One of the most popular dog breeds in the United States is theFrench bulldog, a member of the brachycephalic family of flat-faced dogsthat bond well with people but have trouble breathing,among other severe health problems.
But we are also changing our animals’ relationship to their surroundings. Out of concerns about bird predation, many cats now spend their entire lives inside. Until the late 1970s, even city dogs spent most of their time outdoors, either in backyards or roaming unleashed around the neighborhood. Now, said Jessica Pierce, a bioethicist in Colorado whose work focuses on animal-human relationships, “the unleashed and loose dog is considered against the natural order of things.”
One of the fastest growing market segments is the so-called pet confinement sector, which includes crates and indoor fencing, as well ashead harnessesand electronic collars. “The level of constraint that dogs face is profound,” Dr. Pierce said. Although dogs several decades ago were more likely to be hit by cars, she added, “those risks were outweighed by the freedom of experience and movement.”
The modern pet paradox, in a nutshell: “Owners don’t want dogs to act like dogs.” Dr. Serpell said.
While dogs are allowed in an ever-increasing number of human spaces — restaurants, offices, stores, hotels, as well as more parks with designated dog runs — their growing presence has not translated into greater independence.
The confinement and isolation, in turn, have bredan increase in animal separation anxietyand aggression, Dr. Serpell said. Roughly 60 percent of cats and dogsare now overweight or obese.And due in part to the burden and expense of modern pet ownership — veterinary fees, pet sitters, boarding costs — more people are abandoning animals to animal shelters, leading to higher rates of euthanasia. In 2023, more than 359,000 dogs were euthanized at shelters, a five-year high, according to Shelter Animals Count, an animal advocacy group.
“We’re at an odd moment of obsession with pets,” Dr. Pierce said. “There are too many of them and we keep them too intensively. It’s not good for us and it’s not good for them.”
Granted, taming an animal has always meant striking a balance between its nature and ours. “Defining freedom to a dog, an animal that has been domesticated artificially and selected by humans for so long, is a really interesting puzzle,” said Alexandra Horowitz, a canine cognition researcher at Barnard College.
She drew a contrast with free-ranging dogs,a category to which most of the world’s estimated 900 million dogs belong. Free-roaming canines lead shorter lives and have no guarantee of food, Dr. Horowitz noted, but they do get to make all of their own choices. “That is an interesting model for us to look at — thinking about how to make a dog’s life more rich with choices so they are not just captive to our caprices all the time, while not endangering society at large,” she said.
In recent years Scandinavian countries have started to ban the breeding of some dog breeds that are particularly prone to disease, such as the Cavalier King Charles spaniel. In Sweden it is illegal to leave pets alone at home for extended periods of time; in both Sweden and Finland, crating animals in the home is illegal in most cases.
But whether these animal welfare policies reconcile or reinforce the fundamental paradox of modern pet keeping is unclear, said Harold Herzog, an emeritus psychology professor at Western Carolina University who studies animal-human relations. “The more we view dogs and cats as autonomous creatures, the less we can justify owning them as pets,” he said.
A few years ago, Dr. Herzog vacationed on the island of Tobago, and spent much of the time watching the stray dogs that roamed the landscape. “I asked myself: ‘Would I rather live in Manhattan as a pampered dog, or would I rather be a dog in Tobago hanging out with my friends?’” Dr. Herzog said. He concluded: “I’d rather be a dog in Tobago.”
That’s not a practical option for most people, or necessarily good for the Tobagos of the world. Instead, for the modern pet owner, Dr. Serpell offered this advice: “By all means enjoy your dog’s companionship. But dogs are not people. Get to know the animal from its own perspective instead of forcing them to comply with yours. It enables you to vicariously experience the life of another being.”
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All of my pets treated me as one of their own ... vicariously. I sorta turned out okay.
Many types of people have always treated pets as family members.
I do think the pampering is a little crazy at times though. Your dog doesnt care if he has a plaid sweater on .
I think this is a bit overblown. Many dog owners, like me, do not pamper and spoil our dogs. I mean seriously, sometimes he gets his ribeye medium instead of medium rare...
Dog abuser!
Oh, that poor dog, how horrible
I don't spoil my cat. Not at all
Sure you don't.
I don't. She just gets whatever she wants
As she deserves to.
She is my BFF
Of course, so was mine. He's been gone over 20 years now and I still miss him every day.
This chunky monkey does not get human food... well my wife did drop a McDonald's fry on the floor at lunch today, but that was an accident. He does get 2 walks a day to do his business and comes into the office with when we are both here. He has separation anxiety issues...
He's waiting to ambush a french fry
LOL that's why he's hiding under the rug
It's a blanket on my recliner.
I'm sorry I called it a rug. But he looks awfully cute
Morning.. spoil our animals... nah ahh not me..
But if the cat is asleep on the bed and I want to make it, I wait till it gets off..
If she is snoring away and I want to do some vaccing I wait till she is awake..
My back maybe killing me in bed but because Mishka is lying on my stomach I won't move incase I disturb her...
I leave the back door propped open so the cat can come and go through the cat flap... I lock the security door..doesn't matter if the house is freezing that's what the heater is for..
Me spoil animals nope not me...
She is lovely.
I would spoil her rotten too. She's a beauty
yeah, that's the face of a playful feline extrovert who loves to have her picture taken...
I am recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery and all the spoiling I give the dogs is being paid back, They are guarding me and spoiling me back. My recovery is going well so fsr.
Arvo charger..good to hear you are recovering well.
Slow and steady as you go..
Animals know when you are not right or ill..and they just want to snuggle up to you..
Take care, you will be sprinting around in no time...
I'm glad to hear your recovery is going well. All the dogs I've had were always attuned when I wasn't feeling well. But when I broke my ankle in 2 places and was laid up in bed my rotten cats stayed away from me. I didn't have Charlene then but I think she would have cuddled with me
well, of what possible use were you to them in that state? you can't blame them. next time keep some kitty crack on the nightstand you dumb human...
Ingrates!
so, no more 4 speeds huh? hopefully you've taught your mutts how to fetch the remote and cans from the fridge...
I had a Doberman that could bite them hard enough to open pop top soup cans so I can't trust them with my beer. Be a while till I can bang the gears.
Wonder if I can get a pistol grip or tee handle for my cane?
As many of you may know, I lost my Wally a week ago after a week of fighting to try and get him off a ventilator. I would have done anything to save him. If that is loving him too much, then guilty and I would do it again. He brought me and Matt so much joy and I will miss him forever.
Evening Perrie...
I am so very sorry to hear you have lost Wally...yes you would do anything for them and they break your heart when they go...
The only comfort is you know you did everything you could for him..
His time spent with you was filled with love, safety, warmth and all the creature comforts he could wish for...his eyes say it all..
When the time is right hopefully once again the patter of paws may grace your home once again...as I am sure Wally would also wish for....
🐾🐾🥀💔💐
Thank you for your condolences. He was a one of a kind guy. I know I will get another kitty, but I doubt anyone else could fill Wally's boots.
Eventually everyone's best times of their life exist only in memories.
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Shortly after World War II a rabbi named Joshua Loth Liebman wrote a book titled Peace Of Mind. In it was this passage. He meant it of course to pertain to people , but I think it could apply to how we think of our pets too.
hope you find a new nice cat soon,
I'm sorry Perrie. I hope you're doing okay.
They're the ones that take up alot of space in your heart.
Nor should they..
I’m so sorry for your loss, they really do imprint themselves on our lives in a way non-pet people just can’t understand.
Thank you George for your kind words. You are right that non-pet people just don't get it... In a way I feel bad for them. They will never know the joy that our fur family members give us.
Too cute.
So, yeah, my Casey is a little bit spoiled. But that pup would take on a gorilla for me, so he deserves it.
all 3 of my daughter's rescue dogs had hair triggers when they were sharing her space in strange environments. the 2 females were more aggressive and territorial, but the male didn't like to be very far from her.
My dad made the mistake of acting like he was going to hit me one time, just to see what Casey would do. Casey jumped at him, snarling and barking, and snapped close enough to his hand to make him jump back. He didn't bite, but he made it clear that he would bite if he had to.
I think Dad is glad I have a dog, even if it is a small one who couldn't really do much damage. He's an excellent home alarm, and his bark sounds pretty vicious.
my daughter's first boxer placed me at the bottom of the family pack hierarchy and then flexed her status when my daughter wasn't around. my sister adopted a weimaraner from her son, my nephew, when he was deployed to the middle east. that dog was a psycho-mutt that played rough and always growled at me like he wanted to take my arm off. nobody got in my sister's space around that dog. I volunteered to babysit him one 4th of july weekend so she could go with the family to the local fireworks display. she was afraid he'd tear the house apart if left alone. as soon as it got dark and the explosions started, that monstrous dog was on my lap trembling. I changed the TV channel to WWII and he calmed down.
My cat gets as much dry food as she wants, but she also gets white meat chicken and pork just because it’s a really cheap way to feed your cat. Spend six bucks on a package of breasts or a pork loin, 25 minutes on a low boil, cut it up and bag it in week sized portions for the freezer, then just put about ten little pieces in her bowl two or three times a day. She is obsessed with it and me, and it costs about six bucks a month. Cheaper than dry cat food. Try it and your cat will bond with you twice as much.
Interesting colouring on the cat up on the rail, reminds me of my old grey furball:P
That’s because he’s concrete. 😁
yeah, but which cat weighs more?
It’s pretty close. Liz is a tank but she’s not fat. She will silently and effortlessly jump up to the kitchen counter. Her girth is very muscular.
Lol yes but other than that it does remind me of my cat