GeorgeGlass

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 I mean, suppose it’s your child vs a neighbor’s elderly grandparents?  Similar choice,

No, “save this human or that human” is not similar to “save this human or that dachshund.” I’m sorry, but in my book, human lives take precedence over animal lives. 

Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule. In a burning building, I would choose to save one of my cats over, say, Larry Nassar. But then, I’d probably choose to save my toaster oven over Larry Nassar, so...

In most peoples books, human lives take precedence over animal lives. But not all, and I really don’t think there’s something wrong with that. I can’t tell you to see human lives and dachsund lives as similar, and you can’t tell me not to. We favour humans because we are humans, so there’s that obligatory loyalty there, and most of us have been taught that we as a species are superior. If you relate more with humans of course you’re going to value their lives more. That doesn’t mean their lives have more value. Unless you define value as in how they contribute to human society. 

For example, I believe life is valuable and that belief isn’t conditional to how I relate to other species or how those species can contribute to human society. But if there was a dog or a potted plant in a burning building, I wouldn’t save the potted plant over the dog. I don’t relate to a potted plant. I don’t understand how their suffering functions the same way I understand a dog. But a child vs a dog would be a much tougher choice to me, because I understand both. I’d probably choose the child, but I would not be able to live with myself – that dog’s death would haunt me. 

I do see my pets as my children. I don’t think they’re the same as human children, of course human children grow up into human adults, and trumps or cosbys so there’s a smidge more responsibility involved in shaping their minds and teaching them respect, and if they bite somebody, the neighbours can’t have them immediately executed. But I love them unconditionally. I value them. I am responsible for their lives, their happiness, and I am the only loving, nurturing authority they know. And I work at a shelter so I see what abandonment does every single day. I worry often about what will happen to them if something happened to me. 

As you can tell by my rant, I feel very strongly about this.

After I lost my cat, I cried, I really cried; it was the first time in decades that I had.  I knew he meant something before, but I didn’t realize until afterwards exactly how much he did mean to me, still means to me; I even have his urn on my desk here; not sure I’ll ever be able  to “part” with him.  So, I understand the sentiment behind that bumper sticker, really understand it, and I’d probably be one who’d rescue my (remaining) cats over a neighbor’s kid (if I was in an apartment). 

Of course, that’s more hypothetical, because I’m in my own house, with some distance to the neighbors, thus if their kid were in danger from my burning house, well, either the kid is rescuing *me* (and I won’t be in a position to object), or started the fire.  And in a fire, I would most likely try to make sure they made it out safely, even if it puts me into danger.  Hopefully, fingers crossed, I’ll never have to know the answer to this what-if.