If you ask a question, prepare for the answer

But then she would've just asked directly what kind of dog she has, no?

Not necessarily. Sometimes conventions of conversations are weird. People do the same thing to me if I'm buying baby stuff without my son.

It's because some people actually like human interaction. If they asked a flat out question, they would receive a flat out answer and be done with it. But by carrying on the conversation in a round-about way they are able to enjoy the moment better.

And sometimes they're just lonely and will use anything to start a conversation.

What the fuck crawled up your ass? Go take a nap