Dogs are kids without the sacrfice. A dog will never say he hates you, will not put you through nine months of pregnancy and labor to have, won't force you to give up your career pushing spreadsheets/work lots of overtime hours, won't force you to move for a bigger house or a better school system, and won't end up being a disappointment or worse. You can kennel them to go on your vacations and they will never ruin them by getting sick or sucking all of the fun out of it. They just sit there, look furry, show affection, and occasionally chew up your furniture, poop on the floor, and bark.
Kind of a perfect sign of the times, I guess.