Overly negative take: hopefully one of these days the people who try to turn their pets into "social media influencers" will be seen as animal abusers :)
Let me add to your overly negative take after quoting a part of the article:
"As two millennials living in an overpriced Toronto apartment, often working until burnout, we might find the time to enjoy life in a way we never could before. It’d be like winning the lottery. Our scrappy little pup would become our breadwinner."
...that I really hope they think twice before becoming parents.
Taking care of a pet is like childrearing in easy mode. You have more time for everything - past some point in your animal's growth, the care becomes routine. It's also obviously much more tolerant of mistakes.
So if one can't handle caring for a pet and treating it with respect, it suggests some personal growth work needs to be done before even considering becoming a parent.
It largely depends on how you do it. If it involves spending more quality time with your dog, why not? Unlike children, their social media presence can't come to hunt them. I think my dogs would have been psyched if their days were filled with play and exercise.
"As two millennials living in an overpriced Toronto apartment, often working until burnout, we might find the time to enjoy life in a way we never could before. It’d be like winning the lottery. Our scrappy little pup would become our breadwinner."
...that I really hope they think twice before becoming parents.