This simply don't match my experience. You should consider if you have had an experience out of the ordinary that has formed your views. > They didn't value t

This simply don't match my experience. You should consider if you have had an experience out of the ordinary that has formed your views. > They didn't value the pet as "Billy", they value the pet as a "the dog". I know people with multiple dogs, and they are treated as individuals with their own motivations and habits. They are still dogs, so we should be careful about treating them as a child replacement. But most of those I know treat them with respect. When a dog dies, they often don't want an identical dog to replace them, because they know that they can't get their dog back. > They only value it insofar as it fulfills its expected duties like following arbitrary commands for the owner's entertainment None of the people I know forces the dog to do tricks for food or "roll over" for amusement. They focus on useful stuff like "come here", "sit", "stay" etc. These are only used as a form of communication and only in situations where they are needed.