lives either playing or do meaningless work. I have friends that spend almost all their time skiing on the lake or skiing in the mountains. I have a partner who cannot stop working at 70 and spends all his time at the office, even though he isn't getting paid for it anymore because we have a mandatory retirement age.

The fact is that many people fill their lives with meaningless things. If something like caring for a dog is meaningful to this couple, more power to them.