Are dogs the new children? Birth rates and dog ownership analyzed in study

In some countries, the number of dogs has increased so much that it now exceeds the number of children. While the emotional significance of dogs is clearly rising worldwide, it remains uncertain whether people are choosing to keep dogs instead of having children or whether other factors are driving this trend. According to Professor Enikő Kubinyi, head of the Department of Ethology at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), there is indeed a connection between dog ownership and declining birth rates—but not in the way we might think.