With around 13 million dogs now living in the UK, according to Dogs Trust, we meet the couples choosing canine companionship as a lifestyle in its own right. Reeta and Howard met TJ on Valentine’s Day 2024 at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home after she had been rescued from a puppy farm. That’s what you do as a human parent and dogs are babies that will never grow up,” says Howard. “It’s not a children vs dogs situation; it’s just families come in all shapes and sizes. “It’s like having a child in the sense that you’ve got to be committed and put in the work.”She is also honest that it can cause tension with Philip: “Dogs can prefer one partner to another and have jealousy issues.