According to a new survey by online insurer swiftcover.com, 600,000 women in Great Britain specifically own a pet as a child substitute, or 'fur baby' as they are increasingly known.
Younger women in particular seem to be buying into the concept: the survey found that today's 18 to 29-year-olds are the loneliest group of people in the UK, with more than half (51per cent) of those who have owned a cat or dog saying they do so for companionship. Women are also more likely to have been pet owners than men.
But replacing the pitter patter of tiny feet for the scratchy sounds of tiny paws is nothing new, says psychologist Patricia Doorbar.
"I think it's too easy to say, 'it's just a child', but I think it's a lonely thing and it's something to give attention to," she says.
"We all have this terrible urge to look after things and to look after children. But dogs fulfil that function perfectly, and they fall into it."
Penny Town certainly prefers babies with bite.
The 58-year-old has had labradors since she was a young girl and until this week had 10 living with her at the New Rock in Barkisland.
Penny, who has had the pub for 24 years, says she is a big softie at heart and over the years she has rescued numerous labradors. "They are my babies and I'd be lost without them." She and regulars at the pub are in mourning because two of her beloved dogs have died in the space of two days. Sadie was sixteen and her death on Tuesday was expected, but Blossom died suddenly on Wednesday.
"To say I'm distraught is an understatement. That's the downside of having animals. You expect them to die before you do but it's still traumatic when they do. The whole pub is feeling my loss. Even grown men can be reduced to tears by animals, especially dogs."
Penny, who runs the New Rock with partner Charlie Moncrieff says dogs love unconditionally, are a real comfort and certainly are a health aid. "Having them around certainly keeps my stress levels down and I probably talk more to them than I do to Charlie."
While she has nothing against children she says dogs have always replaced them in her affections. "I didn't plan it that way it just happened but I can understand women who have a dog or cat instead of a child. It's a woman thing - we just want something to love and cherish."
She hopes to be surrounded by more 'babies' shortly. "I'm hoping one of my younger dogs, Lulu will have a litter next year. I can't wait." she adds. Elizabeth Ormerod, vet and chairman of the Society for Companion Animal Studies, says she can understand women's needs for fluffy friends - it may be fundamental to our biological make-up. And she saiys, it helps our health and wellbeing.
"When we interact with animals, our neurotransmittors are elevated so (pleasure chemicals) like serotonin and prolactin and oxytocin are increased in the brain, and the same thing's actually happening in the animal that we're interacting with. And we have lower blood pressure and a lower heart rate."
Ormerod says we feel safe when we're around animals thanks to something called the 'biophilia hypothesis'.
"Interaction with animals, learning about animals and other life forms is an innate biological need that people have," she explains. "Because until very recently, we didn't live in a very safe environment.
"And if we didn't very quickly learn about plants and animals and the world in which we lived, we wouldn't live very long... We're only now beginning to understand that humans need that contact with nature."
But prefering pets doesn't mean your life need be a child-free zone forever. Doorbar says the myth that "you either like pets or you like children" is usually misguided.
"It's kind of like love is rationed and if you give love to an animal then you haven't got any left for people - and that's just a load of old rubbish really," she says. "You find that people who love animals tend to love children, tend to care about other people. It kind of spreads - it's a habit."
So is being a good pet owner a good indication of future parenting skills? "Yes, it probably is. They're still very much the same," Doorbar agrees.
"The only thing about pets is when they get into their teens, they don't defy you in the same way. So I guess it would be fine for nurturing a baby, but the problem with the whole parenting thing is the fact that children grow up!"

RECENT PET SURVEYS ALSO REVEALED:

• A quarter of women admit to loving their pet more than their partner.

• Four in 10 female pet owners reckon their pet shows them more

affection than their partner.

• Women are more likely than men to allow their dog or cat to sleep on

the bed every night.

• 59 per cent of women would turn to their pet to comfort if they were

stressed.

• 14 per cent of women rely more on their pet for affection than their

spouse, partner, friends or relatives.

• 90 per cent of women talk to their pet compared to 78 per cent of

men.

• One in five women like to buy birthday and Christmas gifts for their

pets, compared to just one in 10 men.