Are millennials really substituting dogs for children? Obviously not – as any dog owner would know | Zoe Williams

One study found that 16% of dog owners actively thought of their dogs as children; another commented on the frequency with which owners referred to themselves as “pet parents”, their best friends as “fur babies”. However, they also cautioned that, “contrary to popular belief, only a small minority of dog owners actually treat their pets like human children. In most cases, dog parents choose dogs precisely because they are not like children.”The authors are based in Hungary, where low birthrates have been a hot-button issue for ages. Bring dogs into it, and everything feels calmer, kinder – or, at least, it does if you love dogs. The real reason dog ownership can’t be seen as fulfilling “a nurturing drive similar to parenting, but with fewer demands” (as the authors put it), is that it’s not actually easier than having children.