People in the west have taken their creation mandate to care for animals to far. In many ways, they are treated like human beings with the same inherent value.

Pets, as cute or as useful as they are, are not part of the family. You should go out of your way to show them kindness and to care for them. But at the end of the day, they are possessions. The people who spend thousands of dollars on their pets misappropriate their resources. This kind of decadence is permissible in a flourishing, peaceful society but we can no longer afford such luxuries. If you have that kind of money, raise children.