Depending on the middle eastern region, you'll find different attitudes towards dogs. This difference in attitudes can be attributed to the view that the jurisprudencial sect held towards dogs. All these sects agreed that dogs are allowed for hunting or as guards. The disagreement came on to whether their saliva was najis (breaks wadu) or not. Sahfi'i and Maliki schools of thought both agree that it's not while the others disagree. This, however, doesn't explain why cats were favored more as pets even before the arrival of Islam.

Wait, can you source this part:

Whilst in many middle eastern civilizations especially Islamic cultures historically dogs were massacred on mass and viewed unfavorably.

There were favorable opinions towards dogs, for example, Muhammed ibn Khalaf ibn Al Muzraban Al Mihwaly wrote a book called "In the favor Dogs to those Who Wear Clothes (aka humans)", published in 921 CE. The book contains stories and poetry about dogs and the vice of huamns. Not to mention, dogs were always used for herding. Perhaps you're referring to rabid dogs?

Dogs were admired in Zoroastrianism, Iran's state religion before the Muslim conquest.