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 are the bonds that bind us to 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 on pets. Here are some snippets.
The 2025 Ipsos–Santévet survey shows that pets, particularly cats and dogs, play a central role in the lives of the French. 67% of the French population will not consider a romantic relationship with someone who does not like animals.
This bond can also be observed in their daily lives: many adapt their leisure activities (55%), and some would even go so far as to change partners for the sake of their pet (22%). The younger generations seem particularly committed: 18- to 24-year-olds say they are willing to make changes to their work, leisure activities, or accommodation for the welfare of their pets.
The status of family member for two-thirds of the French population
These results can be interpreted as an indication of an emerging “zoo-inclusive” trend, though whether it is unprecedented in historical terms still remains to be confirmed. The French widely consider their pets to be family members (69%), or even children or best friends. Their pets are included at Christmas and their birthdays are celebrated, and nearly one-third of owners let them sleep in their beds.
The study is evidence of a shift in attitudes: pets play a major role in people's emotional lives, often comparable to that of a close human relative. The survey suggests that the relationship between the French and their pets is becoming increasingly close and emotional. More than a third consider their non-human companions to be their childen, and this proportion is even higher among women (42%), particularly those aged 35–44 (46%).
This intimate, “parental” bond is stressed by many owners, who describe a bond comparable to that of a parent towards their child. The perceived mental health benefits are also significant: 95% of pet owners say their companion animal 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 come free of certain health risks, such as rabies or toxoplasmosis, the relationship brings with it several physiological advantages, helping to reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, and decrease the risk of heart disease. Taking your pet out also promotes physical activity and increase the likelihood of striking up conversations with other people—whether owners are out walking their own dogs or others are simply drawn to an animal (although there is sometimes also annoyance at the animal's presence and the risk of bites or waste left in public places).
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 basic sense of stability and continuity that allows a person to feel secure in the world. It is founded on the reassurance of routine, the reliability of relationships, and a coherent sense of 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 would appear to foster a sense of ontological security and bring meaning to the lives of their human companions. […]
