Dogs have replaced children for most people.

Sorry, this is wrong in multiple ways. People that own dogs are a small percentage of any countries population. About 20% in USA, far lower than the number of people that have children. Additionally, cat ownership is higher quite a few countries, certainly not all. https://www.petsecure.com.au/pet-care/a-guide-to-worldwide-p...

False. There are more dogs than children under 18 in the United States.

Maybe in your tiny microsystem, but not "most people" in any meaningful universal measure. The stats for the US are about even: 38% of housholds with dogs vs. 40% with children under 18. Once you account for all those households with both kids and supplemented with pets I doubt it's even close.