Completely agree that having a dog is a major inconvenience. It makes everything harder, especially travelling even if it's just an overnight trip. We actually just sold our SUV and bought a mini-van so we could fit the family, the dog, and all of our gear for camping / cottages.
That said, I'm with Jake on how happy it makes our family. Everyone loves our dog, she's just a big fluffy sweetheart. Seeing my kids gush over her (and they still do a year and half later) is really heart warming. She also helps calm them when they have melt downs or are just overwhelmed. I couldn't imagine life without her now.