Dog Show!

I am not a dog lover. I like dogs, I even wanted a dog for a long time. In fact, we had a family dog growing up. Her name was Muffin and she was a cute little mutt. Short, fat, and totally likable yet, I admit I was not that attached to her. Dogs are cute and fun and, sure, they make great pets but when did dogs become citizens of equal (or greater) ranking?

Today I walked to Starbucks. I do this several days a week, Turner and I and a stroll to get my fix. Outside of the overpopulated coffee shop, at the few too little tables sat some women whose conversation went like this:
"OH!! Is that your baby?!". This question turned my head, afterall I was pretty sure I was the only one out there with a baby. Only no one was talking to me. The conversation went on:
"Yes, she sure is, isn't she sweet?"
"Just the sweetest! How old is she?
"Oh, she just turned 4!"
This was all I heard as I walked away but I imagine the conversation continued and included a swapping of iphones and a scrolling through of the cutest canine photos one could bear to see.
All of this simply left me wondering when dog's became their owner's pride and joy even more so than their children? Do they even call themselves the owner's, they must be parents? Do these people have other children, or children at all? Are their children grown, leaving them with nothing to coddle so they get themselves a toy dog and all of the accessories; a tote bag, a stroller, fancy dog treats, and a bedazzled collar? Has it always been this way and I just never noticed? Am I just mean and callous in my thinking when I say that things have gotten a bit out of control in the dog world? Between the blogsites, the doggie boutiques, and the gourmet food line... and people say today's children are too spoiled?
Thanks to facebook I can see pictures of your dogs at every special occasion; Halloween, the big game, the welcoming of a new sibling, or even after a bath, in case I want to see how cute your dog is wet.
Perhaps I would feel differently if I had a dog myself. Perhaps, then, I would feel the need to use up all of my delegated bragging rights, splitting them evenly (or not) between my three sons and my dog. Perhaps if I had a dog I'd suddenly have a passion for high end dog accoutrement's, similarly to how I became a little boy fashionista. Although I am pretty confident I would never walk my dog in a stroller.
Of course, if I had a dog, maybe then I would have a daughter:)