71% of US Homes Have Pets — But Most Workers Say RTO Mandates Don't Change Their Plans

For the past year, headlines have warned of an impending 'pet parent revolt'. With 71 per cent of US households now owning pets, surveys suggest millions of Americans are ready to quit their jobs rather than return to the office and leave their animals behind. It's a story that fits perfectly into the post-pandemic narrative — people clinging to their newfound freedom, and employers cast as villains.

But when you talk to actual pet owners, the picture looks far less dramatic.

On Reddit's r/Pets forum — where thousands of owners swap stories about their dogs, cats, parrots, ferrets, and beyond — the mood isn't one of outrage. It's practicality. I've been back in an office setting for three years now', one user wrote. 'My dogs are fine. My cats don't even know I'm gone'. Another chimed in: 'It hasn't affected me. My pets still spend most of the day napping. Dog still gets walked in the morning and at night'.

These aren't the voices of people ready to storm HR. They're people who, after years of remote work, have quietly adjusted and discovered that their pets have too. 'They sleep most of the day, whether I'm home or out', one commenter said. 'The difference is just where they sleep'.

Pets and RTO Mandates

The contrast between those grounded anecdotes and the sweeping headlines is striking. Studies by Rover.com and others have found that two-thirds of pet owners say they'd consider switching jobs if forced to return to the office full-time. Yet online, where people speak freely and anonymously, the overwhelming tone is more of shrugging than rebellion. One person admitted, 'I'm back at work, and our dog is only alone for less than six hours. He's not really fazed by us being gone'. Another added, 'Honestly, I think I miss them more than they miss me'.

That line reveals something crucial. The emotional upheaval surrounding pets and RTO mandates may say more about humans than animals. 'The problem really lies with the humans and projecting their own anxiety', one Redditor observed. Many workers got used to spending all day with their pets — the comforting background noise of a snoring dog, the soft presence of a cat at your feet — and now struggle with their own separation anxiety, not their pets'.

Still, the experiences aren't uniform. A few users mentioned real challenges: puppies adopted during lockdown who never learned to be alone, or rescue animals with trauma who regress when owners leave. One person described slowly retraining their anxious dog: 'I won't lie — it was a mess at first. I had to take some time off and build her tolerance. But now she's fine for eight hours'. That process, they said, 'was more about retraining me than her'.

What emerges from these stories isn't rebellion — it's adaptation. For every viral statistic about workers quitting for their pets, there are countless quiet households where people have simply adjusted their routines: arranging for dog walkers, using cameras, or coming home at lunch. Life moved on.

Pets Are Resilient

Maybe that's the real story. Pets, it turns out, are resilient. They have the capacity to nap through change. It's humans who lack this ability and must be present in navigating a post-covid landscape.

When people say, 'I can't go back to the office because of my dog', it might not be literal. The dog becomes shorthand for something deeper — the autonomy of working from home, the gentle rhythm of a day shaped by personal choice. The pet is not the cause of resistance; it's the symbol of a life that felt freer.

For all the talk of a 'new workforce majority', the truth may be more straightforward: people love their pets, but most aren't ready to upend their livelihoods for them. They're negotiating, compromising, and, yes, missing their dogs during long commutes. As one Redditor put it, 'They'll be fine. They just nap. Honestly, I think I'm the one with the separation anxiety.'