It's not that easy to compare modern values with those of medieval Europe. So when the blogger says: "Values have come far enough...", that's teleological reasoning and will limit any form of understanding of how medieval Europeans felt about animals. Their world view was different and it was inspired by religion, it wasn't a "lesser" form of our modern understanding

Now if you are talking about how animales were percieved in medieval Europe, it really depends on the animal and situation. For example, there are accounts of natural disasters where the well-being of humans and animals was mentioned in one breath, seperate from the loss of commodities. This mostly refers to domesticated animals though. While only some animals like the ox and the horse were thought to have a soul, at the very least animals were more than just commodities.

It's very important to remember that religion was extremely significant for the world view of people in medieval Europe. The appearance of certain animals was often be interpreted as sign of either God or demons. Animals who acted wild or threatening were often seen as "demonic", while those who acted with grace and kindness were more likely to be seen as the presence of God in nature. Often animals who featured in the Bible were even more likely to be subjected to a religious interpretation. Whales, locusts and dragons were big favourites and were very common when supernatural occurences were described. So in this instance, a dragon wasn't just an animal. It was a manifestation of the Devil or at the very least of a demonic presence.