people. Think a big pitbull with a spike collar in the trailer park, or a well-bred AKC registered Samoyed in the Hamptons.

I also have a theory (theory....) that a lot of people own dogs because they provide companionship/love/loyalty but require much less work and emotional deposits than a human. Many people out there are unable/unwilling to invest what's required to maintain a fulfilling relationship (as a friend, spouse, associate etc) with another person. But only the bare minimum is needed to maintain a relationship with a dog.

No matter how neurotic, selfish, arrogant, lazy, etc you may be - it's not hard to find a dog who will still love you and be loyal when most humans would never do the same. Cliche maybe, but think of the joke about putting your dog vs putting your wife in the trunk of a car and seeing who's happiest to see you when you let them out. There's some truth to that.