I know what you mean. Some people like the IDEA of a pet and don't realize how hard and time consuming they can be. Case in point, both my parents.
My dad likes hunting dogs but can't realize that if you bring a dog inside that yes, it's going to shed and no, just because it's been outside a lot does not mean it's housebroken. He doesn't understand a dog is basically a toddler and doesn't always know the rules. Dogs can be messy when eating or drinking water and do track in dirt if you take them outside and bring them back in.
My mother likes the idea of a big dog but after they're not puppies anymore she can't control a large dog so she gets rid of it then months later buys another puppy
I don't understand people who think animals are disposable and you can just take them to the pound and get another one when you want one! Or the stupid people who don't fix a cat, have a bunch of litters and then take those to the pound(repeat, repeat, repeat).
Seriously, I wish there was some kind of way to limit unresponsible pet owners. Like a data base you could search and say "um, no ma'am, it says here you've had 10 dogs in the past five years and own none of those same dogs now... so NO, you can't get a new one!"