I hate

like I come from a nation of animal abusers.

Well, you do in a sense. The gap between how Brits think they treat animals and the way they actually do can be stark. On which point, cue dj:

Dogs have been socialised with humans for thousands of years and there is a symbiotic relationship.

For a long time it was a functional relationship which didn't abuse the health of the animals (so much). Now we have Crufts and animals bred from very small gene pools, with all the damage that inbreeding does added to the extreme shapes that "pure" breeds are now defined by. Dogs with permanent breathing problems, back problems and so on.

Many dog owners treat there animals better than other people treat their children.

@dancing james Many dog owners treat their pets as if they were their children, which doesn't necessarily mean they're treating the animals well. Anthropomorphising animals can mean owners ignoring the actual state of the animal in favour of the fantasy in their heads. Creates a lot of scope for abuse.