I read that dogs have shaped human evolution more than any other animal. Had mankind not had the symbiotic relationship with the dog, we would not have taken the path we did as a species.
That to me, seems like reason enough not to eat them (or mistreat them).
Sums it up for me. They are the most domesticated animal. They are used to guard, protect, herd livestock, rescue humans in numerous situations, aid the blind and infirm, can help people who’ve suffered emotional trauma and are the only species besides us that can correctly read human emotion.
A few thousand years of a symbiotic relationship has placed them in a different place to most other animals IMO. Some historians even believe they played a key role in helping us settle down and form communities.