Well written, I really liked the part of the may be cases. I also found that asking questions and playing on empathy can help to dissolve cognitive dissonance, for example "What if your friend...".
But I keep wondering, what role does the dog play in all this, I bet he's a key actor in all this? But what is his character? Must be a funny one ;)
Yes, there are many ways to 'manipulate' a reader into different behaviours. I like to try and get people thinking where they usually may not spend much time. Hopefully in their best interest too.
The dog is the biggest character of them all and if he could write, it would essentially all be directed at convincing the audience to give him sausages and let him sleep on the bed at night.