Are Dogs 'Kids?' Owner-dog relationships share striking similarities to parent-child relationships

People have an innate need to establish close relationships with other people. But this natural bonding behavior is not confined to humans: many animals also seem to need relationships with others of their kind. For domesticated animals the situation is even more complex and pets may enter deep relationships not only with conspecifics but also with their owners. Scientists have investigated the bond between dogs and their owners and have found striking similarities to the parent-child relationship in humans.