Whoa Sonja! Remind me to never tick you off!
I think some folks just see pets as possessions, objects, or status symbols instead of living beings.
I remember the young couple across the street from me, talking about it was always their dream to have two purebred GSDs. I could actually see the delusion of these two beautiful "ego extentions" lounging peacefully on their front lawn for all to admire, in this guy's eyes. I just knew this wasn't going to be good.
These two dogs grew up completely unsupervised and unsocialised. They soon started attacking the neighbors together. In the end, the dogs were given away. Sad, sad, sad!