THE ECHO

By Jerica Bernfield// Reporter

Pets have been a part of people’s lives for thousands of years. We’ve formed parts of our society around them and built rules for the public. However, not everyone finds these rules satisfactory and might decide to take their animals’ rules into their own hands.

Pew Research looked into animal owner statistics and what Americans considered “rude public behavior” in August 2025 and July in 2023 to show us what pets should actually be allowed to do.

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This is the percentages of Americans, ages 18-29 who say their pet is just as much their family as a human. Sophomore Kate Harber, an owner of two cats, comments “We treat our cats as humans; we treat them like anybody else in our family” Harber said “I think they deserve all the rights that we have.”

Many people agree that animals deserve to be treated as humans: having shelter, food, water, access to medical care, and the ability to exist without harassment. This also means that they deserve to have space in the world, but they still need to be respectful of other people’s preferences which falls back on the owners to make conscious decisions on whether their pet should be in public and if that’s appropriate for the setting. The same people who may think it’s fine to walk your pet in the park or in public outdoors may also think they shouldn’t be within stores or restaurants.

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This is the percentage of young adult US citizens who say there isn’t enough emphasis. Freshman Aram Tesfay, on the opposite side with 74% who do think there’s enough pet wellbeing emphasis, when asked on what she thinks about the standards, said “I think it is good the way that they treat dogs and animals in parks, that they can go to parks but also they have to have leashes.”

Tesfay highlights the importance of restraints even if your animal is friendly, some people simply can’t or don’t want to be around animals. Following animal regulation rules in public establishments isn’t only kind to the people around you, but to your pet that can easily get overwhelmed in the crowds.

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Almost half of the people interviewed over whether it’s rude to bring your pets into public spaces say sometimes it’s acceptable. Junior Max Hunter recounts his opinion “There should obviously be quite a few regulations for where all animals can be,” Hunter said “I’m lucky I’m not allergic or scared of them so I can see those issues.”

Hunter points out one of the largest problems with people bringing any animal to public spaces. Allergies aren’t uncommon, especially to cats and dogs, and while this can be a problem with even trained animals, the risks could easily be reduced by people leaving their pets at home.

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Of people who own a pet, 32% say that while their pet is part of their family, it is not as important as a human. Senior Ali Davis, a dog owner with a golden doodle, speaks on the subject. “They’re not humans, but I feel like they can be treated more like humans more with their rights because I feel like anyone who has a dog, they’re just like a part of the family” Davis said.

Her view highlights the point of where families care and love their animals, they don’t need to be in all the places we do. Davis later expressed her opinion that dogs should have proper care while you’re gone but they don’t have to be in stores and shouldn’t be if they’re untrained.