I love my dogs, I also love chicken soup, chopped liver, and swimming in my pool.
This is NOT the same ‘love’ I have for my children and grandchildren.
However, it is a level above ‘like.’
It is nonsense to belittle someone who says they love their pets by comparing that to loving Jewish children.
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Life is the country is different than in the city.
I live in a small town where everyone lives in a single family home. There are about 13,000 households and more than 13,000 licensed dogs (per our Town Clerk). Many are not licensed. We have 4 dogs. Our shul Rav has two. I don’t know any local non-senior citizen frum Yidden who do not have a dog. Many had them when they were younger and did not replace them because the senior Yidden in town tend to be snow birds and many have Florida condos that do not permit dogs.
When my parents OBM lived in NYC, prior to 1950 they did not have dogs, neither did their parents. They were not suitable to life in a six story apartment building and required walks on leashes, Shabbos being a real problem. As soon as they moved to CT and had a single family house with a fenced yard they got a dog. All one had to do was open the door and let the dog run in the yard. No leash, no Shabbos issues.
I am in my mid-60s, the only time I did not have a dog was when I spent a year in Yeshiva in Brooklyn after yeshiva high school in New Haven, and college. Mrs. CTL is of a similar age and has always had dogs.
All of our children and grandchildren have dogs, all live in single family homes.