I hate this so much.
We live in a culture that values dogs over humans, and I see it all the time on both the left and right (mostly left).
This is the most extreme example but we've gotten to this point by cultivating a culture that loves dogs more than people. You can kill all the people you want in a movie, but killing a dog in a movie is a big no no.
Heck I've watched a video about a guy who was playing a computer game, abusing AI critters, and players were sending him death threats.
This nonsense needs to stop.