By: Benjamin  He

It would be no real news if I told you that we pamper our pets. We’ve seen the fancy bedding, feeding machines, and even gourmet cat food. One of the most famous examples is that of the royal family’s corgis; the dogs reportedly sleep in wicker baskets, feast on steak and chicken, and vacation with the royals. Spoiling animals is what tons of humans do.

But are we spoiling them too much?

This could sound crazy at first. How could cosseting your Princess Littlemuffin be bad? Well, essentially what’s happening here is that we’re trying to “humanize” them. To be more like us. And that’s not good for the pets. Many veterinarians and animal welfare ethicists alike argue that, by humanizing our pets, the more dependent and constrained our pets will be, which in turn lead to health and behavioral disorders.

“We now view pets not only as family members but as equivalent to children,” said James Serpell, an emeritus professor of ethics and animal welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. “The problem is, dogs and cats are not children, and owners have become increasingly protective and restrictive. So, animals are not able to express their own doggy and catty natures as freely as they might.”

The health disorders begin with the breeding of animals. One example is the French Bulldog, who bonds well with people but has trouble breathing, which means Princess Littlemuffin III may be diagnosed with severe asthma.

We are also changing animal’s very relationship to their environments. Nowadays, while many pet owners still let their pets outside, the percentage is dismal as compared to the late 1970s when many pet dogs roamed freely outside. We do even more to confine our pets with the growing usage of pet confinement items, like electronic collars, head harness, and indoor fencing.

“We’re at an odd moment of obsession with pets,” Dr. Pierce said. “There are too many of them and we keep them too intensively. It’s not good for us and it’s not good for them.”