I'm sure he takes his dog to "dog care" every day, where it's played with constantly (not caged). He would never leave his dog alone in his 500 square foot apartment all day, barking it's loneliness to the delight of his neighbors.
While such dog care can be very expensive, he sacrifices that money even more gladly than a mother would for her child's care. This is what he implies with his statement, and I see no reason he would lie to us.
You can't analyze a person's behavior, especial their emotional behavior, without including cultural context. Society does not appreciate people leaving toddlers home alone, but they do not care if you do so with a puppy. That alone is enough to make the matter of "dog care" irrelevant in assessing someone's feelings on the matter.
While such dog care can be very expensive, he sacrifices that money even more gladly than a mother would for her child's care. This is what he implies with his statement, and I see no reason he would lie to us.