A columnist compared dogs to parasites and pet owners aren't amused

WASHINGTON (Circa) --- A San Diego Union-Tribune opinion piece on dogs is causing major controversy.

The article's title is "let's be honest, America: Dogs are parasites, not man's best friend." Author Chris Reed said in a tweet, "over-under on when I'll get my first angry Twitter response over this column: in eight minutes."

Reed says in the article that the cost of taking care of a dog is getting more pricey. He cites the amount of money it costs to pamper animals and how some dog owners have even resorted to plastic surgery in order to take care of their prized possession.

"Lavishing animals that don’t appreciate luxury goods with luxury goods seems nutty," Reed said. "The more the human-canine relationship is examined, the more its parasitic nature becomes obvious — and the more clingy and forlorn humans come to appear."

Reactions to Reed's article were not positive. It became such a big issue that Twitter featured reactions in a Twitter moment.