Long before Vicki Meadors ever became a mother, her neighbors would see her out pushing a baby stroller.

Intrigued, people would slow down and peek inside the carriage, expecting to see a tiny human -- and instead finding Meadors' real babies.

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"I … would take the cats on strolls through the neighborhood. We got some funny looks," said Meadors, a corporate attorney in Omaha, Neb.

Meadors and her husband, Mark, wrote all about their ever-evolving menagerie of birds, cats and other pets needing a home in their annual Christmas letters, and one year the letter channeled the thoughts of one of the cats.

"My family laughed at our Christmas letter … but thought we went overboard the year Hope appeared as the author," Meadors said.

Human Traits Seen In Animals

More and more pet owners assign human traits to their pets, something many non-pet owners find creepy. A pet owner survey conducted in 2004 by the American Animal Hospital Association found that 94 percent of respondents said their pets have human traits. The owners said their pets were emotional or sensitive, outgoing, stubborn and competitive, among other responses.

In the same survey, 40 percent of pet owners said they'd want a dog on a deserted island with them if they could choose just one companion.

"It drives home the incredible bond that pet owners have with their pets," said veterinarian and AAHA President Tom Carpenter, whose own dog was at work with him and propped against his leg as he talked to a reporter. "When I talk to (our membership), I talk about … honoring the bond."

Carpenter said a lot of people who don't have pets -- or who have pets but don't feel emotionally bonded to them -- don't have a lot of sympathy for the Vicki Meadorses of the world.

Stand-In Kids

Self-described pet father John Ough said he and his wife, Terry, often take a lot of ribbing from their Lincoln, Neb., friends and family. The childless couple admits to making their dogs into stand-in children.

Bailey, a German shorthair pointer mix, and Nyasha, a husky mix, have the run of the house, beds in the couple's bedroom and almost never miss a family vacation. In fact, the Oughs have not flown together since they've had the dogs.

"We don't take long, elaborate vacations because of them," Ough said, before explaining how enthusiastic the dogs seem to be about road trips. "Bailey especially likes to put her head out of the window, which can be bad for a dog's eyes, so Terry got these goggles. She's a scream when she's got those on."

Ough said some of their male friends are particularly dismissive of the dogs' place in their lives.

"There's some people that say, 'You people. You're way off.' Most people are kind of, 'Well, OK, you don't have kids,'" Ough said.

Some researchers confirm that the link really is like a parental instinct.

"Many of the interactions that take place between people and their pets resemble those that take place between individuals and their children," according to a study at Northwestern University. "Pets are similar to children in that they rely on someone to take care of them."

Wrong To Humanize?

Deep bonds between humans and animals do seem to be an evolving trend, experts said.

Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, told the Washington Post that he notices the trend most in empty-nesters, people whose children have moved out on their own.

Others see pets becoming the main support system for young, single people who may take a job far away from family and friends. Jon Katz's book "The New Work of Dogs," points to divorce rates and stress at work to explain why people turn to their pets for comfort.

Is there something wrong with humanizing a pet? Carpenter said no, as long as both the human and the animal are thriving.

Aphrodite Clamar, a clinical psychologist in New York City, said it's not even really a new trend.

"Everybody does it. Everybody did it even before, but now it's out in the open. It creeps some people out that you have a dog in your bed, but more people admit it now," Clamar said.

Feelings Of Loss

Dr. Betty Carmack, a registered nurse, started a pet grief group in northern California. She's author of the book "Grieving the Death of a Pet" and she said she knows countless people who could count on few humans in their lives, but always could turn to their trusty animal companion.

"People talk about how their animals are really there for them. So many say they know when they're feeling down," Carmack said.

The 25-year-old pet grief group gives members a chance to find other supportive humans during a time when a lot of friends just don't understand.

"There's a sense it was just a dog. People don't get the support that it's a significant loss," Carmack said.

Richmond, Va., psychologist Alan Entin said many therapists encourage pet ownership for their patients.

"It provides them with some companionship, a way to assuage loneliness, gives some meaning and purpose … Otherwise, they may just stay in the house all the time and be depressed," Entin said. "They play a very important role in the family. They may play a role that other people do not fill in the family."

As for the Meadors, they are still pushing a baby stroller -- but now it contains daughter Leiya. The pets have had to make room for the baby, but Vicki Meadors said the animals make a great teaching tool for the child.

"As Leiya gets older, we plan to return to helping each week at an animal shelter -- as we did before she was born -- to help the animals and to teach charitable values to Leiya, and teach her to respect and love all of God's creatures," Meadors said.

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