I don't think so...

I've got a Border Collie smarter than most middle schoolers...but moral?

I think they are anthropomorphizing.

This dog would fuck a snake's mouth if it would hold still, and eat a slug's barf, warm or cold. He will kill any small furry he can catch in the yard.

Instincts and the fact that all dogs are wolves that never reach adulthood are more like it. They are bred to stay puppies (wolves don't play) their whole lives.

Children are not moral creatures. Dogs are loving and dependent companions, anything more is pushing the limit of credulity.