I'm not sure what's so controversial about this comment. People years ago did not treat animals like humans nor even really let them into the house. They fended for themselves. Cats lived in barns or sheds and ate mice or anything else they'd find and dogs had a dog house and also fended for themselves. This is how they exist in the wild and they're doing just fine. Even up to the early 90s we had a big old sheep dog that only came in the basement if it was stormy and though he was fed well he could still be found wandering the neighborhood and some family friends claimed to have seen him miles away, even after the yard was fenced in. My family only began to let the dog into the house when we got a less hairy one.