"Should we humans have so many pet dogs, or should we not?... Dogs have been domesticated for at least 17,000 years..."

To sdhed some light on the real relationship between dogs and people the question must be asked the other way around:

Should dogs have so many pet human beings? Dogs have domesticated people for at least 17.000 years...

The historic truth is that dogs have sought the company of human beings for opportunistic reasons and have, over time, trained people to accept their constant company.

They didn't succeed equally well at all places. Go to the Balkans, South and Central America, the Caribbean and you will find that dogs there are still stuck in the initial phase. They are still at the outskirts of human dwellings trying to find their way into the houses of people.

In Italy and and Spain they made half way. A few are in but many more dogs are still out. (No dogs allowed in shops, restaurants and on inner city public transport.)

"The USA appears destined by fate to plague America with misery in the name of liberty." Simon Bolivar, Caracas, 1819