Pet Parent

 According to this article, dog ownership is increasingly seen as a way to satisfy the human urge to nurture and form close bonds, potentially contributing to lower birth rates in some societies. Both rising dog ownership and declining birth rates (which some research show can be related) are symptoms of changing social networks. As traditional forms of community and partnership become less stable or harder to establish, people increasingly turn to pets to fulfill needs for companionship and nurturing.

Furry children allow their owners to achieve emotional outcomes similar to those of traditional parents, including positive emotions, social support, and a sense of purpose. By fulfilling this need for dependence and costing less time and money than human children, parenting dogs is a win-win situation. 

There was a woman I worked with once who referred to her dogs by name only, never as dogs, When I first got to know her, I just assumed they were her two kids and did not even bother to confirm. It was almost as if she made a deliberate effort to not give away (at least immediately) that they were dogs not children. I remember feeling surprised to learn of their canine identity but realized that she had not been trying to hide that to begin with. It's just that her degree of attachment and love for them was akin for a mother's love for her kids. That was the source of confusion but it probably should not have been.