A Dog Is a Dog Is a Dog

I don’t understand pet owners who think of their dogs as kids.
Some dog owners refer to themselves as “Mummy” and “Daddy”. They bring their dogs on “play dates”.
Worse, they expect other people to tolerate their dogs’ bad behavior as one might a neurotic child’s. “Bitsy was abused” is the favorite excuse for excessive barking, jumping on people, slobbering and even biting.
Given, it takes time and patience to be a responsible dog owner, especially if you’re raising a puppy. But that’s a far cry from bringing up a child; at least, it should be, IMHO.
I don’t think that cat owners are that irrational, but maybe it’s just that cats aren’t in-your-face kind of animals, especially the very big ones, who’d sooner eat you than beg for table scraps.