Dogs are treated like ‘child surrogates’ by their owners, new study finds

In most European countries, a quarter to half of households own at least one dog - (Pexels/KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA)

A global rise in dog ownership worldwide reflects a growing desire to nurture without the demands of raising children, researchers have suggested.

Academics found that much of Europe, North America, and East Asia are now experiencing “sub-replacement fertility” – meaning people have fewer children than needed to maintain the population.