“I think owning pets has been an amazing way to instill my values in my children. From caring for our animals, I have taught my kids how to be empathetic, kind, responsible, and the importance of compromise. They have learned that to care for an animal they need to consider needs beyond themselves. I think that is super powerful.”

– Respondent in California (Mother of Two)

“While studying the relationship between people and their pets, the openness, and consequential information, that came from being on a walk showed us the impact that mechanisms at an individual, familial, ecological, and societal level have on the way people think about and interact with their pets. As social scientists, it is as much about listening to a respondent speak as it is about noticing how they handle their dog’s leash, or pat their cat’s head after feeding them – these behavioral nuances show us the rich emotional world that exists between owners and their animals”

– Ethan

“From a psychological perspective, the mapping of values or redirection of human emotions is called transference. For owners that have significant emotional connections, their pets often fill a void in their lives – whether that’s a significant life event, a death, or an emotional loss – a pet becomes a transference object for significant emotional markers and relationships. Pets can also become a place for us to express our own aspirations. One dog owner in California decided to buy his dog a gold chain, explaining that he wanted his dog to have the things he couldn’t afford while growing up. As such, people may treat their pets with additional importance or human qualities or attachments.”