Why Pets Are the New Family: Exploring the Link Between Declining Birth Rates and the Rise of Pet Parenthood

Why are more people choosing to raise dogs instead of babies? Why are pet supply stores booming while birth rates fall?

We’re living through a cultural shift—and the stats prove it. Around the globe, marriage and childbirth rates are in sharp decline. At the same time, pet ownership is skyrocketing, especially among Millennials and Gen Z. What’s driving this transformation—and what does it say about how we define “family” today?