I wince when I think of the resources, time and money we have dispensed over the years on behalf of animals, the sacrifices we would make for them. As I type this, a stray cat we rescued in France ten years ago, sits at my feet, pestering me without pity, knowingly interfering with my keyboard. He will prevail and as usual I will offer him something better than most cats could ever find and he will probably snub it.
I could relate countless stories of how our dogs dominated our attention.
Yet we never had a problem discerning the role of animals vis a vis humans, never were able to understand placement of animals in a status comparable to or superior to human life, although the quality of some humans does cry for such a comparison.
"Greetings to your cat. I am a rescue dog. I am a princess too! But I am a working dog. I drive away squirrels and hippopotamuses, and I dance for my supper, and I make Daddy laugh. A lot. I will wag like crazy when you come to see us. Wooooooof!!"