Final answer:
Respiration is not a passive process in dogs, horses, large ruminants, and cats. These animals have evolved specialized respiratory systems to meet their oxygen needs.
Step-by-step explanation:
All aerobic organisms require oxygen to carry out their metabolic functions. Depending on the size of the organism and the environment it lives in, different animals have evolved different respiratory systems.
As animal size increases, diffusion becomes insufficient for providing oxygen to the cells, so larger organisms have developed specialized respiratory tissues like gills, lungs, and respiratory passages, accompanied by complex circulatory systems, to transport oxygen throughout their bodies.
In the case of animals listed in the question, respiration is not a passive process for all of them. Dogs and cats have highly efficient respiratory systems that help them maintain a high activity level.
Horses and large ruminants, like cows, have a specialized flow-through respiratory system that allows them to efficiently take in large quantities of oxygen.