Would you save your pet or a stranger's child?

[NotADailyMailJournalist]

Hello all

Slightly inspired by another thread where posters were surprised that people were more interested in someone's dog than their baby...

If you have a cat/dog and you could only save it or a stranger's child/baby, what would you choose?

For the purposes of this thread, no-one would ever find out you'd been given the choice, so you wouldn't face any consequences.

Thanks

My cat 100%

And yes I have 5 children

These people walk amongst us

I'm against the grain.

My dog is a good person. That child may grow up to be a serial killer for all I know. They May abuse people, commit horrific crimes, become a politician who causes damage to women and children, hell they may grow up to kill children themselves. I could be ending more lives for all I know.

My dog has potentially saved my life twice that I know of, more times that I dont.(reacted when someone followed me unbeknown to me, twice. Put someone off who looked to be coming toward me and then saw her and turned away). She's off-putting to burglars (and worse). She's protected me many times.

She's got me thru deep dark depressive periods. Made sure I'm safe alone in the house. Made sure I'm safe walking around at night. She's loved me, and apart from my Mum and a couple of close friends, nobody else has. She's company to me and I live alone not by choice.

She's been with me through abusive relationships, horrible work situations, my dad attacking me on Xmas day. She's been there while I've cried when nobody else knew or would want to.

Nope, I'm not killing her. She's been by my side when nobody else has and I owe her my loyalty. I got her at 5 days old as a rejected pup and she's never been away from me for more than 3 nights/days. I wouldn't be me without her. Nope.

The child. Every time.

That's a good question. No, because I don't value insects the same as I value mammals. Rightly or wrongly. Plus killing a child would be quite graphic., unlike killing a spider (As well as have legal consequences!)

I'd choose my pet but I'm not even close to being a sociopath. I'm well aware they're the future gen, but I have no ties to a stranger's child. I do to my pets. They mean the world to me, so excuse me for being blunt and truthful by picking the pet option.

My dog is a good person

🙄its a well trained animal

I don’t have children but I would save my pets, without question. And it’s not because I believe they deserve life more than a child or whatever but I love them dearly and would always pick them over a stranger. Same way as I would pick my parent, sibling, etc over a stranger. It would obviously be an incredibly difficult decision to know you were responsible for the loss of a life but personally, I couldn’t choose the life of a stranger over my pets. They’re my family.

Look up Peter Singer. He’s an Australian philosopher who has some interesting ideas about speciesism. He would say save the pet…

I don't see humans as superior to other animals

Irrelevant.

The most basic level of empathy would mean you understood the huge impact the loss of the child would have. On their parents, siblings, wider family. Their teachers, their friends. Possibly a loss to society - they could have grown up to do something outstanding.

The loss of your cat? Well, that's just you feeling sad.

What you actually say when you choose your own pet over a strangers child is 'my feelings over a cat are more important than the heartbreak suffered by dozens of people over the loss of a child. I put myself first, regardless of any other consequence'.

It's a pretty clear, simple test for sociopathy.

If you feel this way, don't ever have a child.

Stranger's child.

Anyone who would save an animal instead is frankly a psychopath.

https://www.thecollector.com/what-is-speciesism-according-to-peter-singer/

Would I have to see the child die? 🤔

Obviously most people would say the child BUT, imagine you have a quote from the vet for lifesaving treatment for your dog of say £5000, if you had the money you would spend it on your pet, right? Imagine an appeal by a family down the road when they need so raise money to send their kid to America for lifesaving treatment. Would you really divert that £5000 earmarked for your pet to the family with the sick child?

I adore my cats but a child every time. For the reason that actually cats are very clever and will usually make their way out on their own if a door is left open. We've had many chats with DS about this in terms of him getting out of there was a fire(the cats are his and he adores them).

Same reason why humans should never go o to ice to rescue a dog. So many times the human does and the dog finds its way off the ice.

Reading this thread I thought “definitely the child”…however, the more I’ve thought about it in a scenario where my dog was drowning in front of me and crying, whimpering and panicking whilst looking to me to help her, i don’t know if I could force myself to go the other way and help the struggling child instead. I’d like to think that of course I would think logically and do the ‘right’ thing but I’m not 100% sure if I’m honest.

@CerealPonderer the obvious rebuttal to your argument is that the baby could just as easily turn out to be an evil dictator as someone who cures cancer.

And yes, I am selfish. Tis the human condition.

I don’t know- if it’s instinct to grab one, it would probably be the pet. If I had a second to think about it, I would probably take the child. But it’s hard to put myself in that situation

What's interesting is people saying of course the stranger's child, but in reality stranger's children are dying for lack of money globally while we in the west spend thousands on food, insurance and medical treatment for pets.
So in fact that choice is being made every day, in a less confronting way.

Why do people have to make comments like this which are so insulting/hurtful to childless or childfree women? You don't have to have given birth to have compassion for other human beings.

@Longdueachange interesting way of thinking about it!

Indeed why isn't everyone on this thread sending every penny they have to the charity that provides anti-malaria nets? £1 = 1 net which saves 1 life or something.

I got her at 5 days old as a rejected pup and she's never been away from me for more than 3 nights/days. I wouldn't be me without her

The next few years will be rough for you then. You understand what a dogs lifespan is?

Yes. This did happen to my dog (she fell through some ice) and I went into get her even though I initially logically thought it was too dangerous. I couldn’t bear to see her die. So I rescued her and luckily it wasn’t quite as deep as I thought and I was ok myself after I warmed up again.

No!I thought they lived forever and ever! #sarcasm, just in case.

Because most people just like to spout off to look like they're a good person