What Is Pet Culture — And Why I Created Hope You Like Humans

Everywhere you look – coffee shops, restaurants, offices, airplanes – pets have become people. If you haven’t noticed, I invite you to take a look around.

When you hear the term pet culture, you might picture a society where pet ownership is simply common and acceptable. After all, humans have lived alongside domesticated animals for thousands of years. Maybe you think of a family that only feels complete with a dog, or the woman down the street with two cats.

But is that pet culture?

Well, no. No, it’s not.

Pet culture isn’t about having or even loving pets. It’s about how society has redefined compassion, belonging, and identity around them. It’s about how our cities, media, and even friendships now orbit around pets instead of people.

It’s the normalization of animals in almost every public space — and even at private events. It’s the unspoken expectation to love pets or risk being seen as cold, untrustworthy, or even broken.

Somewhere along the way, being human-centered became controversial.
People apologize for not wanting fur on their clothes, for needing safe spaces for their kids, or for even having allergies. They tiptoe around the topic, afraid to sound “mean” for wanting what used to be common decency — for people to leave their pets at home.

That’s how deep pet culture runs. It’s not just a trend; it’s a social order. It dictates what kind of person you’re allowed to be — kind only if you adore animals, decent only if you tolerate them everywhere.

One day, I realized that even though this problem is widespread (and getting worse by the day), there is no real public counterculture. The resistance lives underground — in anonymous corners of Reddit and in individuals around the world isolated and forgotten by the pet-obsessed.

Hope You Like Humans is about human rights. Humans have the right to exist in public spaces built by and for humans — without being forced to accommodate pets (and let’s be honest, it’s mostly dogs).

Hope You Like Humans is a boundary. A statement. A movement.

I want to live in a world where we can prioritize human comfort, human safety, and human connection — without shame. That shouldn’t be radical.

This platform is dedicated to exploring pet culture, its repercussions, and creating real change.

So consider this your welcome mat — one that doesn’t put pets before people. If you’re tired of pretending this is normal, you’re not alone.

Hope You Like Humans is a line in the sand — a reminder that we can draw boundaries without apology and still be good people. If that makes us the minority, then so be it.

We’ve been quiet long enough.