Am I abusing my dog?

When we were discussing Benjamin's thoughts about binaries I thought of the relationships in my life that I value, and whether or not they were a harmful binary. I thought about my relationship with my parents, which is definitely questionable, but that is an entirely different post. I thought about my relationships with my friends, which for the most part I think we at least try to mutually recognize each other. But then I thought about somebody who is very valuable to me, and yet is probably the worst relationship I have, by Benjamin's standards. That somebody is my dog, Tucker. He is a 3-4 year old borador whom I love very much.

Maybe our relationships with our pets do not have to follow the same standards as our relationships with people. Obviously, since I am not a vegetarian, I can't really preach too much about animal rights. However, sitting here with Tucker at my feet, I can't help but think I'm mistreating him when I don't think of him as an equal. Even though an owner/pet relationship already suggests a domination in the name, I think it's possible to have that while having mutual recognition. Similarly to a parent/child or teacher/student, someone can have the upper hand while still respecting the other. When I ignore my dog's pleas for attention in an attempt to teach him not to whine when he wants something, I can't explain to him that I would give him a belly rub if he would just calm down for a second. Or when I pull on his leash when he's taking a long time to sniff a pole because I'm in a hurry, I am blatantly prioritizing my needs over his. I always feel guilty, as Benjamin expressed, after I dominate my beloved pup like that. At the same time, although such occasions are much more rare, he feels guilty when he eats my food or vomits on the carpet. Although we have a very beneficial relationship to both sides, I think it is ME/him, and I am trying to change that. However I'm also trying to change that in my head my relationship with my dog is more valuable sometimes than with humans. Do you feel you treat your pet as an equal, or even that you should?