[bloomingeek]

If my attitude toward my dog is that she depends on my mercy to survive, then I am a monster with no feelings or morality. (Yes, I am responsible for her well being as a responsible owner, and rightfully so.)

Whether she understands how we feel about her isn't the point or the definition. She seems happy and doesn't live in any kind of fear, and that makes all the difference to us. Anything else is just picking fly scat out of pepper.