It may be that pets make good companions, but they hardly make a family. A recent study found that 7 in 10 Gen Z adults would prefer to have pets than to start a family and have children. Not only is it troubling that the non-immigrant population in the U.S. has nearly zero population growth. But it’s also concerning on the level of what it means to be human. God commands human beings to be fruitful and multiply. In other words, to have families. One cannot fulfill this mandate by supplanting those made in his image with animals, even if we love them dearly. Dogs and cats may bring joy to our families. But families are to have dominion over animals and not consider them as replacements for their own children.