2021 ANIMAL STORIES MAGAZINE

Page 14 2021 PET MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS JANUARY 21, 2021 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. [Derek Hurley]