Animals vs humans round 2

[livingzuid]

I was enjoying our previous debate started by Fifi. Not sure if we were done!

AIBU to think if faced with choosing a pet over a human (even if a stranger), you should choose the human?

The idea was brought up in another thread and put in life or death situation. Building on fire contains your pet and a stranger. You could only save one, who would it be?

I had a dog, Ralph, I cried my heart out when he died 3 years ago. The only dog I wasn't scared of! But I can't imagine leaving a person to die instead, no matter how my heart would break.

So your commer that your dog comes next after DH and DC over saving a stranger only applies to a burning building not a much more likely house fire living thats lucky then

Threads like this make me want to leave MN.

The thought that people are taking advice and views from MNers who openly admit they would leave a defenceless chf to die from smoke inhalation in irder to save their dog make my stomach churn. God knows what other claptrap these animal savers are posting.

Horrifying.

Maryz I wouldn't be happy at all, because my sister is my family. However I wouldn't be any happier about it if they had saved their child or sibling instead. I'm rather invested in this debate here, because after my wife died, my dog probably helped my children cope just as much as I did. She never judges or complains, she just listens and gives you a reassuring nuzzle. I would never leave her to die after she did what she did for me and my DCs.

Maryz I have no problem with your opinion. I personally found the tone very accusatory. My apologies for the misunderstanding.

In answer to your question I just don't see why I would put a stranger's needs above me and mine. I wouldn't expect anyone to do the same for me either. My family is more important to me than yours and I don't get why that is so hard to understand. Particularly after this debate I would hardly expect you to put my family above yours!

So if it was my child over your child you would save mine first? I really don't think so! You would also save your child and husband over my DH who just so happens to be my carer and my dog who is a major part of my care plan but I would understand. I'd be completely devastated and may die but I would understand. Because I am a stranger and your family is naturally more important to you. But please judge me for putting my family above yours.

Don't judge.. What an epic typo.

Good point livingzuid

I always think there is a huge irony in people saying 'oh, my dog is so much nicer than people, he means so much more to me than most people do'. Because if you view people with such contempt, why on earth would you expect them to be all fluffy and lovely to you all the time? If you constantly remind everyone who pays attention that they are of lesser importance to you than than your family pets then is it any wonder that your relationships with people can be strained, to say the least?

But you are talking ro people who dont consider a sog a family member so object to that comparison. Your dog saw you through intense grief Urgent how would the family of the child you didnt save feel?

Of course dogs are nicer than humans, they are not as complex

2tired they would probably being going through what I went through, however I owe my dog and I don't owe them. If someone had dragged both you and your children out of depression, would you abandon them to die? Like I said earlier, I would also choose my sister over someone else's child; and though you don't see a dog as a family member, I do.

I don't think that not being as complex somehow makes them nicer.

A dog isnt someone to me im afraid so I cant answer that. How do you know dogs have manners, they cant talk and could be thinking all manner of rude things in their furry head

Since they dont have the capacity to be nice or nasty

I like dogs, as it happens. Some of them are particularly lovely, and some of them are just 'meh' and some are bad tempered and grouchy. A bit like people, really.

For the record, my cats have no manners at all. Some are more polite than others.

But I'd still save them over a stranger who means nothing to me.

2tired of course a dog has a capacity to be nice or nasty; and by the way, we don't know what humans are thinking in their non-furry heads heads either, we only know what they want us to.

Saving your dog over a stranger in a hypothetical fire is morally reprehensible

That's pretty much it, really.

I agree with Maryz. I often do, as it happens, but that is a separate topic, I suspect!

Someone way back on the other thread gave a good reason why the fact that someone would rescue their own DC over another does not 'excuse' someone rescuing their dog over another DC:

If one DC has to die then one set of parents will lose a child no matter who is saved, and suffer that pain Therefore of course you save your own DC. SOMEONE has to lose a child.

If it's a choice between a dog and someone else's DC you could save them that pain. No one HAS to lose a child in this scenario. Yes, you would lose a dog with maybe 15 years left to live, but that pain would be less than losing a child for the other family. And you could spare them that, but you don't.

Clearly those saying a dog is family consider them a lesser member of their family unless they would rescue the dog before another family member, proving they are not equivalent.

And then there's the small matter of the poor fucker who's left to burn of course!!