Overview

• Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University published a study in *European Psychologist* framing dogs as fulfilling complex emotional and social roles beyond traditional pet ownership.
• The study suggests that dogs satisfy innate human nurturing drives, offering companionship and emotional fulfillment with fewer demands than raising children.
• Dogs' cognitive and social behaviors, often compared to pre-verbal infants, strengthen bonds with owners and elicit caregiving responses, particularly in breeds with infant-like traits.
• Ethical concerns are raised about selective breeding for extreme physical traits and overprotective caregiving, which may harm dogs' health and behavior.
• An international survey has been launched to explore cultural and personal factors shaping the evolving human-dog relationship, reflecting shifts in family and caregiving concepts.