For some people in my age group, pets, namely dogs and cats, have become all but a replacement for human children. This pet humanization, or as some might call it, “pet worship,” is a disturbing trend in our society, and one I believe should be looked at to find out why it is happening. I believe the level of normality we associate with obsessing over our pets has become a bit too much, and honestly, I think it will do much to hurt humanity’s prospects at establishing meaningful relationships with each other. 
Pets are fine, and certainly have a place in our lives. However, there are far too many people who insist on inserting their animals into every social situation and generally base their entire lives around the pet’s needs. Many of those who fall into the pet-worship category will aggressively defend their lifestyle and will not accept situations where their “fur babies” are unwelcome. They will also bring their untrained animals in public, and expect everyone around them to feel comfortable with it. 
This amount of disregard for others is more than a little worrying. The sad thing is those who are deep into humanizing their pets are likely to hold a higher opinion of animals than human beings. April Pedersen of The Humanist, does a great job outlining the mindset these people have.
“I have quite a collection of misanthropic utterances from dog lovers, most along the lines of ‘I’ll take dogs over humans any day,’ and ‘dogs love without having an agenda!’… Then there’s the CEO who said he doesn’t trust clients who don’t have pets. How sadly similar to the religious who say they don’t trust nonbelievers,” Pederson details.
People who feel almost obsessed with their pets are doing nothing but stifling their own ability to communicate and foster relationships with other human beings. This is deeply sad when you really think about it.
Taking it a step further, a trend of registering emotional support animals simply for the purpose of the ability to take their pet indoors has emerged. It is not only inconsiderate to everyone else to bring untrained animals in public buildings, but it creates a harder situation for those who genuinely need a pet to help them through psychological issues. Unfortunately, it is much too easy to fool businesses and institutions of your animals’ legitimacy.
Hal Herzog for Psychology Today did a bit of digging into just how easy it was, and came up with a disheartening answer.
“With absolutely no proof of an animal’s training or abilities, Amazon will sell you vests, leashes, collars, and dog tags indicating that your dog is a ‘Service Dog,’ an ‘Emotional Support Dog,’ or a ‘Seizure Alert Dog,’” Herzog explains.
This means the only necessary thing is a convincing costume for your pet and a willingness to cause a scene if asked to remove said pet. I, for one, would prefer not to even have this be a possibility when I sit down to eat somewhere, or enter a store to shop. It seems logical a pet owner should have to prove they need emotional support before they receive a free pass to bring animals inside. 
In what way is all this necessary? Why is it worth going through this much trouble? The answers to these questions elude me. There is just no sense at all in relying so heavily upon animals and having them around constantly, and the fact those who do are being increasingly accepted is a little frightening.
Even worse, with the ubiquity in which we find loving pet owners, it stands to reason with increasing acceptance, some of those people will fall further down the proverbial rabbit hole and enter the mentally unhealthy lifestyle of a pet humanizer. This will not be good news for our society if it happens, and as somebody who could take or leave pets in general, it is just plain annoying.
So please, love your pets all you want, but make sure to do so like a functioning adult.