If you're finding that there is a severe lack of dogs to pet in Starfield, that's because they might have gone extinct.
I'm not sure what cruel mind at Bethesda decided this was an OK thing to do, but as it stands, it's looking like humanity's best friends might have all died out in Starfield. Notable Twitter account Can You Pet the Dog recently shared a post pointing out that there are no pets to be found anywhere in Starfield. And more horrifyingly, the account shared a screenshot of some chocolates, with an item description that notes they are "shaped like an extinct canine called a Labrador Retriever."
This could of course just mean that it's simply labradors that have gone extinct. Can You Pet the Dog does note that some concept art does feature in concept art, though the art shared just shows a cat. But there don't seem to be any kind of pets found anywhere in the game, so unfortunately for all of us, it looks like the dog days are over. It's not like the idea of dogs being extinct doesn't make any sense; after all, planet earth is completely devoid of life, and presumably (perhaps somewhat understandably) preserving human life was the priority.
