An Atlantic Reading List on Pets
The animals we love are playing a more and more pivotal role in modern life.
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One of the most wonderful by-products of my colleague Amanda Mull joining The Atlantic a few years back was the introduction of Midge into my life. Over the years, Amanda has often treated her Twitter followers and co-workers on Slack to photos of, and stories about, her “cranky, agoraphobic chihuahua,” as she called Midge in a 2021 article. This might sound a bit strange, but as a person who didn’t grow up with pets, I get a surprising amount of comfort from simply seeing snapshots of my colleagues’ and friends’ daily life with pets like Midge—little beings who have just as many quirks, moods, and worries as humans do (if not more).
Pets are playing a more and more pivotal role in modern life, particularly for Millennials: As Amanda explained in 2021, “For America’s newest adopters, a dog can be many things: a dry run for parenthood, a way of putting down roots when traditional milestones feel out of reach, an enthusiastic housemate for people likely to spend stretches of their 20s and 30s living alone. An even more primary task, though, is helping soothe the psychic wounds of modern life.”
Today’s newsletter is dedicated to pets—how we live alongside them, drive them crazy, and love them to depths they may never fully understand. (And don’t worry; our reading list doesn’t neglect cats.)
On Pets
Why Millennials Are So Obsessed With Dogs
By Amanda Mull
The only thing getting me through my 30s is a cranky, agoraphobic chihuahua named Midge.
Which Pet Will Make You Happiest?
By Arthur C. Brooks
Three rules to enhance the happiness of those looking to add a nonhuman to the household (From 2021)
By Katherine J. Wu
Cats are a biological marvel. That’s not (the only reason) why I love them.
Still Curious?
- Why do humans talk to animals if they can’t understand?: The habit says more about people than about their pets.
- The pet-name trend humans can’t resist: Why would anyone name their dog Kyle?
Other Diversions
P.S.
If you’re prepared to cry, I recommend spending a moment with the Atlantic contributing writer Peter Wehner’s love letter to his dog, Romeo, who died a few months ago. “A pet’s devotion, a close friend told me, creates a force field around our home, warding off the unpredictable and frightening realities of daily life,” Wehner writes. “In giving something that’s needed to a family, a pet becomes a part of it, insinuating its life into ours.”
— Isabel
