Personally i think those that hate those that love pets were simply neglected as kids and have resentment.
Now my wife and I can't have kids, we had 3 cats and a dog. Now we have 4 since we picked up a very loving cat that came across our backyard for quite a few months.
These pets are our family more or less. We chose pets so we can interact with them, not just have them because "you should have a dog". I make a trek to dog park everyday. On the weekends usually twice. He still gets a morning 40 min walk. It's a big time investment.
In times of need I am not going to step forward and say my pets are > than all men.
However, too many people operate like undomesticated animals today. For those, I am feeding my cat first. Chances are though I'd probably be them for dinner.