Point is when you look at a dog as a pet and not friend/family you basically get to feel like a superior to feed your ego.
If you have to compare yourself to a cat in order to feel good about yourself, then you are quite sad - cats eat their own vomit for pete's sake.
A pet is a
companion animal. In other words, a "pet" is an animal that is considered a partner/friend, to a human. Typically, those are considered equal, as well as synonymous with being part of the family. That being said, you can (and should) consider your pet to be a friend and family member, but you also need to understand that most pets (dogs and cats especially) must comprehend that
you are in control. It's not about feeding some shallow superiority complex, it's about understanding that these animals' actions not only need to be controlled for a plethora of safety and logistical reasons, but that they also function with a pack mentality - there will always be an "alpha" male/female who runs the show, and if it is not the owner, the animal will take that title, which results in bad, even dangerous behavior that causes the majority of pet-related problems one sees. Proper training and attention/affection are essential. Again, it's not a power play - it's our way of interacting with and protecting animals in a way they understand.
It's not enslavement, its a mutual trust and interdependence.
Humans and domesticated animals need each other, plain and simple. It's a symbiotic relationship and has been for thousands of years. Pets are taken care of physically and emotionally by humans as much as humans are taken care of by their pets. Many people cannot function on a daily basis, whether physically or emotionally, without the companionship or help of an animal. In the same vein, pets cannot live without the aide of humans - everything from diseases to predation, food supply and basic aspects of any given location are dangers that the vast majority of pets would fail to overcome without humans looking after them.
Pet ownership in its pure form has nothing to do with superiority; in fact it has everything to do with humility - accepting that you want/need help or companionship, as well as your willingness to put another living being's needs above your own. You need to sacrifice a lot of your time, money, energy in order to properly care for most pets. Your emotions as well - I can't tell you the pain and devastation I felt when my own dog died...I truly did lose my best friend. That type of emotional turmoil you accept as a part of owning a pet is
not something you do if "superiority" is your goal.
I would never put a leash on an animal or trap them into bring my friend so I will never have a pet. Humans just have to have power don't they?
Using a leash has nothing to do with "power", and everything to do with keeping the animal (and those around you) safe. If you're walking your dog, you want to make sure it doesn't run out into traffic or hurt/scare other people and animals. It doesn't matter how well trained and nice the animal is, it is a being who will react to any amount of stimuli and events that you cannot predict or otherwise control. By refusing to use a lease, you are doing nothing but putting your mother's dog and others around you in danger, as well as risking your mother's heart being broken if something bad were to happen...all for your false sense of moral authority. There is
nothing moral about that. Period.
If the happiness and well being of animals are your concern, then your opinion and stance on pets is GROSSLY astray. A good and loving owner/family is the absolute BEST thing that can happen to any pet - every person who decides to not own a pet equals for more innocent animals living in a pound in terrible conditions until they're eventually euthanized. That being said, not everyone is qualified to own animals, and I'm actually quite relieved that you never plan on it. Based on everything you've said thus far, it's obvious you do not have the emotional and mental capacity to understand very basic truths about the relationship between humans and animals, and pet ownership overall.