She figures America needs her more.

This humanizing of dogs has even inspired a new noun — “perrhijo” — a fusion of the Spanish word for “dog” and “child.”In Buenos Aires, where leash-pullers outnumber stroller-pushers in many neighborhoods, lawmakers have proposed a range of pet-friendly

, including bills to ease access for pets to public transport.“The city has come a long way, but I believe it now has the obligation to take a bigger leap,” said local lawmaker Emmanuel Ferrario. His centrist “Vamos por más” (Let’s go for more) party has presented five such bills now being debated in. One seeks to create a registry of dog walkers who must pass an exam every two years and undergo CPR and animal behavior training.

Co-owner Rocio Dominguez offers a treat to Tony, one of her regulars, at Chumbis, an artisanal bakery for animals, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)Co-owner Rocio Dominguez offers a treat to Tony, one of her regulars, at Chumbis, an artisanal bakery for animals, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

“I see an opportunity for it to become the most pet-friendly city in the region,” Ferrario said.

Other politicians fret about the proliferation of pet-keeping as a symptom of a bigger crisis. They ask why young people in Argentina choose raising pets over raising children as the country ages rapidly.The 2025-2030 dietary guidelines are set for revision this year under a joint effort by USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services. A panel of scientific experts who reviewed evidence regarding milk fat content recommended that the U.S. policy remain the same.

changes in the federal nutrition program after the 2010 law have slowed the rise in obesity among U.S. kids — even teenagers, said Deanna Hoelscher, a nutrition expert and researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center who served on the dietary guidelines committee.“We didn’t find enough definitive evidence to change a policy that’s been in place that has shown good outcomes to date,” Hoelscher said.

Although there was limited evidence that consuming higher-fat dairy rather than lower-fat dairy could benefit very young children, there wasn’t enough evidence to make a conclusion for older kids and teens, she said. There were “substantial concerns” with the consistency, quantity and risk of bias in the existing research, the report concluded.Some nutrition experts point to