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 For our purposes, though, we’re more interested in
a specific kind of pet owner in this equation. Some owners treat
pets as family members, and not just a living piece of property. But
why is this the case?
The reason we bond with animals stretches back to ancient history.
Humans are social animals. We don’t just surround ourselves with
family; we make friends in a variety of social circles, some of
which we grow as close to as if they were family (or even closer
than our own biological relatives).
For pet owners, this means an animal fills two functions;
companionship and some form of living assistance. Some people who
are elderly or disabled, or suffer from severe anxiety, or even
common medical issues, have pets to assist them in emergencies.
There are programs available that help train dogs to fetch medical
supplies, or train animals to be emotional support animals.
Even without training, some animals perform these types of tasks
anyway. To provide some personal experience, my dog Brutus will come
find me if he thinks I’m upset. Sometimes he’s heard something else
and only thinks something is wrong. But there have been times where
he has popped his head in my lap when I’m legitimately upset or
panicking over something. Our cat Lilith is the same way; she will
sleep next to us if we’re sick.
At times like that, I’m grateful to my furry companions. I’m not
sure how else to react to a creature, that isn’t human, trying
harder to make me feel better than some people do at times.
Additionally, in a year like the one we just passed, when we cannot
see the people we care for, life can get pretty lonely. Human beings
have a remarkable ability to reach out and anthropomorphize other
animals, essentially treating them like people. This means that some
people treat animals like family out of loneliness, which can be
unfortunately common.
For some, treating pets like family means removing the idea of
“ownership” from their vocabulary altogether. For these folks, pets
are companions with whom to share each other’s lives. The difference
is that the human provides a little more in a physical sense. But
pets have emotions and control of their own parts of the
relationship; they’re not stagnant.
For example, if our cat bites or scratches me, I know that I annoyed
her. She was letting me know that she does not want me to do
whatever I was doing anymore. Being a cat, she likely wants me to go
away for a minute. Cats have their own type of social rules among
their own kind. To a cat, a human is a strange, two legged kitten
that didn’t quite figure out the feline-form of socialization.
Cats seem to be treated as property in a different way than dogs.
This is because some people misunderstand how cats behave, and how
they try to avoid people more often. But, just like dogs, cats can
pick up on when they should approach. Cats are just as often used as
support animals, and are great companions for people with autism or
attention disorders, because they often socialize in similar ways.
Dogs are often treated as property because they have
a variety of uses. Dogs can be protectors from intruders, or they
can be herders on the farm, or they can be used as hunters. Dogs are
frequently partnered with law enforcement or military personnel. But
dogs are a lot like people; they crave a social circle.
Much like cats, dogs see humans as strange, two
legged dogs. The difference is that a dog is more likely to
understand that a human is charge.
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Different dogs react to that in different ways. Some
dogs are more standoffish with strangers, and some dogs run and
hide. Some dogs love everyone that comes through the door, and some
dogs are aggressive on sight unless told to be otherwise. The point
here is that dogs have feelings and opinions about people, which
makes it really easy for people to do the same. And when we start to
see feelings in a living thing, it gets harder to treat them like
property.
But what do pets get out of these relationships? In a way, they see
a lot of the same benefits. They get food and shelter, but more
importantly, they get a chance to socialize on their own terms. An
animal in the wild risks isolation, but a pet has a chance to be
part of a social group. Even a skittish dog or a cat who wants to be
left alone still wants the option of socializing. Often times, a
human treats a pet as a companion instead of property because the
pet has already done the same.
Finally, pets are often treated like family out of a sense of
responsibility. Nobody likes reading news stories where a horde of
animals is taken from a home because they’ve just kept adopting
animals, despite the fact that one person can’t take care of
everything. Pets are living beings with needs, and treating them
like more than an object helps us remember that.
None of this is to say that treating a pet like property is
inherently wrong. Sometimes a pet just isn’t a good fit for a
family, and when that happens, it’s easier to get rid of a dog than
a newborn. And this doesn’t mean we should treat our pets like
people; that’s a step too far, since pets are not people. A
one-to-one equivalence is also a bad idea, as pets do not share all
of our needs or wants.
But there is a reason why some people treat their pets like family.
Our pets spend years with us, often from birth. They rely on us, but
we rely on them too. At the end of the day, we treat them as family
because they are alive and in our care, and it can be more
fulfilling to care when you’re attached.
We also do it because we are social animals, just like they are. Not
only are all the parties involved benefitted by such relationships,
but it seems pretty natural to humans and certain types of animals
to socialize with each other. I think the real reason why some
people treat pets like family is because we see so much of ourselves
in them, and they see the same in us.
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