Is it genuine cruelty or a case of being immensely self absorbed, if someone says "my dog is so smart he's like a human"?

I've heard this from several people (including a lot of my family and friends, and most of chambers it appears) and I just don't get it. As if dogs are quite literally as capable and intelligent as human beings, but just don't have opposable thumbs. <br><br>If a dog is as smart as a human, then it's cruel to lock them in a house their whole lives and take them for walks on a leash just for shits and giggles, and make them wear silly costumes and everything. If a dog is as smart as a human, then they have the capacity to feel just as bored, anxious, and depressed as us, when we lock them in a house and take them outside to go to the bathroom, or make them wear silly costumes.<br><br>Are dogs actually as smart as humans? If so then it's cruel to keep them as pets, but if not, then why pretend that they are, and risk making your dog suffer an unnecessarily boring and monotonous existence on account of anthropomorphizing them. <br><br>I can't imagine a dog is happy being locked in a house all day, maybe one or two rooms if you're feeling generous. So why do we all pretend like dogs don't get bored at all just like us.