Let me preface by saying the following isn't by any means me taking your statement as negative or taken the wrong way, I'm just piggybacking to give my opinion to maybe help other people think about those decisions more carefully.

I refuse to visit my wife's idea of getting a dog because regardless of how much you want something, it's not always the right thing to do. She is on the road from 7:30am to 5:30-6pm Monday through Friday for work while I'm 9 - 5 while also attending school. At least 3 out of every 5 weekends we are out of town and then half of the ones in town are busy.

Regardless of how much we, especially she, would like a dog it is far and away from being both practical and ethical. I've already had multiple animal companions growing up and the few years before we met I raised a Rhodesian Ridgeback from around 7-8 weeks until I decided it was best for him to be with my ex girlfriend for his benefit. My new job and living area would have been too small and my life far too hectic to put my best friend through. No matter how much I love him, he is a living and feeling companion who deserved better than what I could give him in terms of attention, exercise, and play time.

Moral of the story is that no matter how much you want something, the pros and cons always wildly shift when considering a pet companion. Their life is literally in your hands and if someone can't provide them a good life then they are hurting another life by being selfish.

Pro Tip: When you're in a relationship with someone, especially marriage, there are a multitude of decisions from small to large that need to be decided on together that usually involve compromise. That decision is far and away more complicated when consisting of a new life within your own.