Outside the therapy room, anthropomorphism is seeping into our cafés, supermarkets, and hardware stores. Dogs and cats are soon to be allowed on domestic flights. Hounds are apparently essential companions for a Saturday afternoon Bunnings trip. Children are outnumbered by canines at my kids’ primary school pick-up. Assurances from dog owners that their precious pooch would never bite anyone is little comfort to people whose preference is to not share public space with animals, whether due to phobias, allergies, or any of the many other valid reason. When did we get to the point that people come second to animals and a human needs to explain why they don’t wish to share space with your pet?
Loading
There are countless social media accounts of dogs and cats with captions written in the animal’s “voice” and penned by “their hooman” or their “ma” or “pa” (read: owners). Then there are furries, a niche group of society who identify as animals and dress as such. How about a dog dining on $30 steaks while most families are experiencing the crunch of cost-of-living expenses or Britain’s wealthiest family spending more on pet food than on their employee’s wages. Or Oscar the cavoodle, whose impressive wardrobe was showcased during a recent court case.
Animals do, of course, have an important role in our lives. A trained assistance animal can provide invaluable service and much-needed comfort in contexts such as therapy and court proceedings. Family pets can teach children lessons in love, responsibility, and loss. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with enjoying snuggling up on the sofa with your cat or dog at the end of a long day. But the focus here is enhancing the wellbeing of people, rather than putting animals on a veritable pedestal.
Outside of these settings, animals and their many endearing antics provide a necessary reprieve from the doldrums and vicissitude of everyday life. A much-needed rush of endorphins, and an antidote to the less than palatable news of geopolitical crises, politics, and property prices is something we can all benefit from.
Time spent with our pets is never wasted. But people should be prioritised in our time, too. Ultimately, the animals will be fine. But the humans may not.
Dr Bianca Denny is a practising clinical psychologist based in Melbourne.
The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.
