After reading the article, nowhere did I see mention of pet owners thinking their pets were their children. Yes that does happen, but this thread has gone off topic. I have owned dogs most of my life and I can remember saying, I never had to run a dog to the emergency room at 1am with 105 fever or been called by a friends parents letting me know that my child had a bad fall.
Having said that, many animals have been domesticated and they can contribute many wonderful life lessons. In retirement they can be an amazing source of comfort and joy. If I meet a 70 year old neighbor who wants to act as if her pet is her child, why in the world would that make me so upset as to judge and criticize her/him?
Moving back to the topic of the original thread, I had no idea there was a group for bird owners. Next time they have an event, I would like to go. I had a parakeet as a child and it would sit on my shoulder while I did homework. As an only child, the companionship of my parakeet was very important to me and I have fond memories of that time.
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