re: Hypothetical Question : Do you pick dog over serious girlfriend?

Get rid of the pet. Not a hard choice. Dogs are not part of the family. They are an “animal” pet of the family. People who treat pets like humans are weird and socially awkward. I hate it when I see people applying human traits to an animal. Might as well give a stuffed animal human traits. Your dog would like a serial killer just much as you if it was fed, not beaten, and pet every once in awhile.