Personally, I find pictures of pets very amusing. I may be a bit bias because I love pets. Jeffrey Glover has many pictures of his loved ones. People love pets like their children. If people want to show pictures of their pets, they have every right to.
Animals have a personality of their own.
I feel that this adds to the personality of your home page. Maybe a lot of users may disagree, but I'm sure some will agree. As for number three, I disagree with him totally. Hey, the internet is up there and it is very advantageous for many people. One way of advertising or getting people to know you is through the internet.