Document type: article published in The Conversation
Authors: Emilie Dardenne, François-Xavier Roux-Demare
Preview: France is home to 79.8 million pets, including some 33 million fish, nearly 17 million cats, and 10 million dogs. But what bonds unite us with these beings who share our daily lives? Are they part of our family? Are they our children?
This is one of the questions addressed by animal studies researcher Émilie Dardenne and legal scholar François-Xavier Roux-Demare in the Que sais-je? volume dedicated to pets. Here are several excerpts.
The 2025 Ipsos–Santévet survey shows that pets, particularly cats and dogs, play a central role in the lives of French people. For 67% of them, it is impossible to imagine a romantic relationship with someone who does not like animals.
This attachment is also evident in daily life: many adjust their leisure activities (55%), and some would even go so far as to change partners for the sake of their pet (22%). Younger generations seem particularly committed: 18- to 24-year-olds say they are willing to adjust their work, leisure activities, or living situation for the well-being of their pet.
A family member for two-thirds of the French
These results can be interpreted as an indication of an emerging “zoo-inclusive” trend, though its unprecedented nature on a historical scale still needs to be substantiated. The French largely consider their pets to be family members (69%), or even as a child or best friend. They celebrate their pets at Christmas or on their birthdays, and nearly one-third let them sleep in their beds.
The study points to a shift in attitudes: pets play a major emotional role, often comparable to that of a close human relative. The survey suggests that the relationship between French people and their pets is becoming increasingly intimate and emotional. More than a third consider their non-human companion to be their child, a figure that is even higher among women (42%) and particularly among those aged 35–44, where it reaches 46%.
This intimate, “parental” bond is emphasized by many owners, who describe an attachment comparable to that of a parent toward their child. The perceived mental health benefits are also significant: 95% of pet owners say their companion improves their well-being. Dogs, in particular, provide a sense of security (69%). […]A Relationship with Multiple Benefits
While the benefits of sharing one’s life with a pet do not rule out certain health risks, such as rabies or toxoplasmosis, this relationship offers several physiological advantages: it helps reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, and decrease the risk of heart disease. Outings also promote physical activity and increase the likelihood of striking up conversations with other people—whether they are out walking their own dogs or simply drawn to the animal (though sometimes they may be annoyed by its presence and the risk of bites or waste left in public spaces).
Pets provide their human companions with a form of “ontological security” in an era marked by the breakdown of traditional values and institutions. Ontological security (a sociological concept formulated by Anthony Giddens) is the fundamental sense of stability and continuity that allows a person to feel secure in the world. It is based on reassuring routines, reliable relationships, and a coherent identity.
Pets contribute to this security by offering a stable and predictable presence to their caregivers, by helping to establish daily routines and rituals (walks, meals, grooming), by providing a secure emotional foundation free from judgment or disruption, and by reinforcing the sense of being useful, recognized, and loved. Thus, pets appear to foster a sense of ontological security and bring meaning to the lives of their human companions. […]
