Scott Douglas Jacobsen:  Evolutionarily, why do we care more about dogs and cats than people sometimes?

Rick Rosner: Because dogs and cats give unconditional love. Same reason people love Disneyland—Disneyland doesn’t judge you, doesn’t ask anything from you, except to pay for an overpriced ticket.

In Disneyland, everyone smiles, and it feels like love. Dogs are the same way. Even if you’re a horrible person, a dog doesn’t know. Dogs just love you. Cats? They’re standoffish, but they’re equally indifferent to everyone—they don’t judge who’s an asshole and who isn’t.

And pets are innocent. They don’t act with malice. Plus, they’re dependent on us, which triggers our sympathy. Everything about pet ownership pulls in one emotional direction—love, loyalty, and care. There’s nothing working against that feeling.

Loving a pet is like watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire—everything about that show was designed to make you want the contestant to win. You’re cheering them on, just like you cheer for your dog. Compare that to The Weakest Link, where contestants actively sabotage each other. The biggest jerks always gang up to kick off the best players, so the people you might want to win rarely win.

Even the host—calling contestants idiots—works against itself. These aren’t idiots; they’re people trying their best under pressure. That’s why The Weakest Link has never been as popular as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire—because it’s a game full of contradictions and conflicting emotions.

Pets aren’t like that.

They’re pure affection. They love you unconditionally. There’s no downside.

With people, love is complicated—there’s love and hate, admiration and resentment. But with animals, it’s all love. The emotional bar for pets is low—all we ask is that they don’t chew up the furniture or poop in the house. And even if they do, we forgive them, because they’re animals.

Photo by Anusha Barwa on Unsplash

Rick Rosner is an accomplished television writer with credits on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Crank Yankers, and The Man Show. Over his career, he has earned multiple Writers Guild Award nominations—winning one—and an Emmy nomination. Rosner holds a broad academic background, graduating with the equivalent of eight majors. Based in Los Angeles, he continues to write and develop ideas while spending time with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project; International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416); The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576); Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066); A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.

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