I don't think it's as much of an issue of not giving a damn as much as it is an unrealistic view of how animals think mixed with anthropomorphism. I've seen it in the horse world. They WUV their horsie...but they're afraid to ride said horse or even make said horse behave while working with it on the ground.

One thing with a dog, even a large aggressive dog. Very much another with a 1000 lb horse with bad manners and aggressive behavior toward humans.