It's way more common than you'd think. I've met so many people who treat their pets as just a "thing", more of their "stuff". Really. For example weird people getting bored with their family dog, so they give it to a shelter and buy a new, more fashionable breed.
For many folks, a dog or cat is just another accoutrement, a fashion statement, but excess baggage in times of crisis. The worst thing for any breed is to get featured in a popular movie or TV show.
Our next-door neighbors moved 3 days ago and just abandoned their indoor cat outside. So it didn’t eat for two days til we realized it was on the deck by the door waiting for somebody to let it in. Now we are feeding it and trying to figure out what to do before the tropical storm hits tomorrow.