You didn’t want a child. You bought a dog.

Got a dog? Congratulations, you’ve just given birth to a new son. On four legs, with a tail, and no obligation to raise him. The dog doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t cost a college degree, doesn’t cause trouble at school. It has no opinions of its own, doesn’t question your decisions. It’s just there. And it loves you unconditionally – exactly the way you wanted a child to love you, only without all the work. Zero responsibility, zero confrontation, zero adulthood.
A dog will love you always. Even if you beat it. Even if you starve it. There are hundreds of cases where animals were treated like trash, beaten, humiliated, locked up – and still came back to their abuser. Because a dog doesn’t hold you accountable. Doesn’t demand anything. Doesn’t analyze your parenting mistakes. Your presence is enough, even if it’s toxic. No child will give you that.
Animals have become the modern-day children of people who don’t want to raise anyone – they just want to be adored. They want relationships without risk. Love without effort. A dog as a lifestyle. A cat as an emotional partner. A child is no longer the “miracle of life,” but a logistical burden. You have to wake up at night, pay for the doctor, deal with teenage rebellion, and have answers ready when they ask about the meaning of life. You have to take responsibility for an entire human being who might hate you if you screw up. A dog won’t do that.
And a dog? Just feed it, take it for a walk, and suddenly you’re parent of the year. Not to the dog — it doesn’t give a shit. To people. For the likes. For the narrative where you’re a caring guardian, without the dirty work of real parenthood. And you’ll never have to hear, “You let me down.” There’s no upbringing, no growth, no process. Just petting and unconditional admiration. That’s why it’s easier to buy a leash than take responsibility for another human life.
Don’t be surprised you can’t build a real relationship if your only emotional bond is with something that wags its tail when you come home from work.