I don't think animals are humans, but I do love animals. (And there are some days when I feel a greater affinity for animals than I do humans... because, I think, sometimes, animals demonstrate more civilized & loving behavior than some humans.)
We have 3 pets currently (1 dog & 2 cats), &, while they are not on the same level as our children, they are a part of our family - especially our dog.
I think having children has put me more in tune w/ animals... just because, in different ways, all 3 of our kids have been interested in different animals over the years, so we've learned a lot, been on different animal encounter tours, etc.
For example, our DD loves sea turtles, &, while I would have appreciated the sea turtle, I probably never would have learned as much about them if it weren't for her. We've done sea turtle hospital turtles, &, now, among other things, when we go to the beach, we fill in any holes we find to make it easier for momma sea turtles & baby sea turtles.
Older DS loved sharks, & younger DS loves all animals - but especially foxes. I cannot tell you how many different shark & fox books we have!
And, as a homeschool teacher, we've done in-depth year-long studies of flying creatures (insects & birds) & land animals - so it was through those classes I've learned all kinds of unique animal characteristics & about keystone species such as the honeybee.