To think it's not worth risking your life to save a pet?

[Liketochat1]

A few weeks ago a young rugby star, his father and brother died after his dad jumped in a slurry pit to save the family dog. Earlier this week a mum and her partner died jumping into a river to save their dog. They died and the dog survived. Are pets worth this risk?

LemarchandsBox, having re-read my earlier post, I can see that I didn't explain myself all that well.

I promise you, I'm not goading. What I meant was that the one person I have met in real life who acts as though her animals were more important to her denies that this is the case. Having taken her denials to be the truth, I was shocked to read on mumsnet that loads of people do actually say that they love their animals as much as their children.

Its nothing to do with not getting out enough, or not watching TV. Its just not exactly a discussion that you see very much of. Am I making myself more clear now?

The point is you don't think "do I love my dog more than my child".

You think " there is the creature I have loved and looked after and loves me back dying in a slow and horrible way".

You do what you think is right. Actually I rather my parent died trying to save something than die of old age and done nothing.

LBE
It simply if you are a parent do you owe it to your children not to risk your life trying to rescue a pet. Sadly the young woman who drowned in Wales left a young daughter behind. In attempting to rescue a dog she left her child without a mother. I fully accept what others are saying that the couple probably didn't think about the risk they were taking and the whole thing is a complete tragedy.

I did not equate loving your pets with social services and child neglect.

I said that that I know one person who falls into this category, but she is very adamant that her children matter more. Having taken her at her word, I was surprised to see loads of people saying 'actually, I love my pets as much as I love my children'

Chazs I also lost a parent as a young teen to illness (cancer). I would rather he had died trying to save our dog than to that evil disease.

That aside I can't compare the loss of my father to the loss of our family dog a few years later but I am still heartbroken at both. I cry for the things my dad would never see and I cry for the empty feeling of not having my childhood dog next to me.

Family is family and my dogs are firmly included.

My previous post doesn't make sense so I'll get it deleted.

I think the people who would rescue a cat even though they have children have as valid a position as anyone else. I don't see why someone would be offended by this? it doesn't make any sense to be offended.

I have helped to rescue a stranger (homeless guy) from a flooding arroyo. It was dangerous, but I have also helped to rescue a dog (not mine) from a flooding river too. Neither seemed very impressed with the rescue!

But saying that one person's values aren't as "good" or "important" or "rational" than another person's is just silly.

Canidae
Sorry for your loss. I suppose what I was getting at is that nobody chooses to die of cancer (same in my case) but you do have a choice whether or not you risk your life to save a pet.

I accept we will all see this differently. I can't equate the life of an animal with that of a human and I say that as someone who chooses not to eat meat .

Actually the young couple drowning happened in Wrexham, North Wales and I knew them so you can all bugger off with your gossipping and speculation and all your 'oh I would never jump in to save a pet, blardy bla'

We are all pretty shocked here, as they were a lovely family and my heart goes out to their families and their little 3 year old that was left behind.

That is all

sheeps
This is clearly a raw topic for you. However, I don't think you can expect that it won't be discussed.

I am sure they were a lovely couple and it is awful that their lives have been cut short in this way.

There were no witnesses to the tragedy in Wales if that is the second case being alluded to. The river was swollen and parts of the banks had collapsed. Nobody knows if they jumped into rescue one of the dogs or not.

As a new mum and a dog owner I'm also on the Fence.

I look at my baby girl and think nothing at all would be more important than being there for her for as long as I can.

I look at my 8 year old dog, imagine him drowning infront of me and I don't know, I would hope I would have the sense to walk away.

I don't think you can compare losing a child to a pet but I don't think that was the question.

I wouldn't logically leave my baby without a mam for the sake of my poor dog ego probably has a year or two left anyway. However if it was a spur of the moment thing I think I would act first and think later - think that's the problem. Panic and instinct are never very logical.

I think there have been a lot of very supportive posts here for your friends sheeps and understood their decision.
I'm so sorry for your loss, it was a tragedy.

I have been in this situation before, when I was a teen and I did go in to rescue my dog (he went through ice in a local pool and got stuck). It was stupid but at the time I didn't think about anything but getting to my pet. I know if the same thing happened again I would react the same way.

In the cold light of day it doesn't make sense but like some others on this thread have said, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left him to die when I could possibly have saved him. I don't have children yet so maybe if I did I would react differently but I don't think I would, everything happens in a split second and there wasn't any time for logical thought. I just reacted rather than thinking it through, and fortunately it had a happy ending.

A few years ago I became impaled on some barb wire in a field after falling of a stupidly tall stile. My very large but soft, wimpy dog risked himself trying to get to me by half jumping/half climbing the fence and using his harness helped pull me out.

I was miles from anyone and in pain and quite scared. He wouldn't stop touching me or leaning against me. I sat with him afterwards in the field and ran my fingers through his coat and watched his eyes as he watched me.

What reason did he have to try so hard to get to me? He hurt his leg on his first attempt at jumping the stile yet he kept trying. He isn't brave and he hated agility (the see-saw terrified him!)

He may be 'just a dog' but he clearly feels that I am more than 'just a human'.

I feel I owe him the same back.

I always assume that in the event of a fire, then my cats are likely to get out all by themselves. I also assume that they will avoid traffic because cars are big noisy scary things and they keep out of their way (they only go out the back, and there's no road there). So I wouldn't worry too much about saving them if there were a fire here, just concentrate on getting dd out, who - at 13 - would almost certainly manage better than I would anyway.

So no, I wouldn't risk my life for my cats, but I don't expect to need to.

I think though that people do act on instinct. If you saw someone in difficulties in a river, wouldn't you try to help? I think that same instinct kicks in if it's an animal, particularly if the animal is your pet.

LMAO at gobblers comment on the first page.

I would risk my life to save my beautiful baby-dog even though he's as big as me... My pets over the years have protected and loved me. I would die for them, yes. I'm not sentimental or silly, i wouldn't think twice about saving my dog from a burning building, in the same way i would risk leaving my DC's motherless to save a strangers' child from a burning building.

I care not what anything thinks of that opinion

No way would I risk my life for a pet, even if I didn't have a child to leave motherless I still wouldn't do it. I wouldn't jump in after someone who jumped in after one either, if other people want to die for a dog, I'd let them. There's not a chance in hell of me abandoning my child or my life for the sake of an animal or someone elses lack of survival instinct.

So would anyone on here risk their life to save the life of a strangers' child, even if it risked leaving their own DC's motherless?

Why has it turned into a pets VS DC's 'fred' ?

I quite simply wouldn't think 'I could possibly die' i would look at this animal who had loved and protected me, pulled me back from the brink, let me cry in his fur...

And in exactly the same way i wouldn't faff about if i saw a house fire and people screaming at the windows.

Stupid really, and no you don't think about the people who would have to risk their lives coming to get you if things went wrong.

Just one of those things i suppose.. be proud the thread has amassed four whole pages worth of comments

I'd possibly save the cat if safe to do so but the dogs got no chance. Karma.

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm; I don't think I would to be honest, my own is more important to me.