I don't know your boyfriend so I do not want to judge him. However, I will say this...
You guys are talking about marriage, but you don't seem to see eye-to-eye on much right now. I think, being able to face things together, and have each other's support is the most important part of a marriage.
For me, with my boyfriend, we mentioned marriage and children and all. However, I had never really gotten to see him interact with children and I wasn't sure what his 'parenting' skills would be like. We ended up getting a puppy, because I truly felt the need for one (for many reasons, not just to 'test' things). He didn't, he didn't want one but said that if it made such a difference for me, he was okay with it. Well, that puppy allowed me to see many different things. We work together well, we had the same ideas when it came to raising him, we both were able to discipline him (prior to that, I thought he was a total softie!), we both rushed to his side if he needed to puke (I wasn't sure if he could handle the poop and puke and all that joy),both spent the nights up with him when he was ill, etc. It was truly an eye-opener. I think the way a man treats any defenseless animal, is the way he truly is inside. It gives you a good idea of what to go on.
You have to remember, that anything that goes on now, is not very likely to change all that much.Right now it's the pets, but in the future it'll be kids. The attitude will remain the same. You guys need to be able to work together, and envision yourselves together. You guys also need to see yourselves as a family, as it is now. The pets are part of that family, and you need to see it in the way that "Oh he is treating our family like this." Use the family you have now to see if he is truly the man you want to build a family with.
I am not saying he is bad, or he is good, or whatever, again I don't know him. However, it should tell you a lot about your compatibility.
On another note, I love all my pets. My pets are family and always will be. I don't bend over backwards with my allergies just for the fun of it. When I met Jeff, I made it clear to him right away that animals were part of me and a big part in my life. I made it very clear to him that I would not leave my country without taking my animals. Well, to him, the thought of them not coming had never even crossed his mind. Plus, my animals took to him right away and they liked each other from very early on. That also helped me judge him on the boyfriend material front
Anyway, we have many pets now, and though he does feel we have a lot, he truly cares for each and every one of them. One thing I find important though, is to remember that Jeff is my equal. He is my other half, and together we run this household and cherish our other family members. I truly have a special bond with my dog and sometimes, I have to catch myself from greeting him first. It's not intentional, but I can see where Jeff can get a bit miffed when I do. I think it's normal since I feel the same way. So, we always try to greet each other first. For many people, it's "them first, us after" but in my opinion, I prefer the "us,for us and forthem" attitude. Jeff is part of me, and I need all of me to take care of my family properly.
The reason I say this is because I feel that if your relationship is strong, together you are a force to be reckoned with. You will have something truly worth holding on to, and with that being strong, that strength and that love only naturally spreads to your other loved ones. Like the dog for example... If I say no, but Jeff says yes, that would put Jeff and I at odds, and make the dog confused. He'd become moremanipulative and pit us against each other, knowing he would get want he wants in the end. (I have seen this, he does try when he can feel someone about to give in) This in turn, would lead Jeff and I to argue. Now, that's just a small thing, but if it's a small thing, repeated numerous times, over every little thing, it gets unpleasant and it just doesn't work.
So, use this gift of time, and try to take on a 3rd person point of view when looking at your relationship. See what you can improve and how but also why you want to improve it. The rest is up to both of you, to have the willand strengthchange it, together. And if you find yourself seeing more of 'I'or 'him' rather than 'we' or vice-versa,I think that is a pretty good indication as to whether or not the two of you are ready to talk marriage