Homer's situation got me thinking

Yes Grammy. Not every dog can be saved or with a super practical reason sometimes. But to be misunderstanding how dogs minds work, to think that they have the same agenda as humans really irks me. To make broad, sweeping statements without regard in any way to individuals screams of sterility and coldness toward a species who has meant so much to human kind for a long time. They deserve more consideration than that.

Yes, "you show a total lack of compassion, tolerance and understanding" seems to me to be a personal attack rather than a conversation. It is possible, within a discussion, to bring up touchy or potentially hurtful opinions without attacking another person. It's actually neccessary, unless the conversation is a coffee klatsch of agreement. My opinion clearly hurt you; I didn't intend that. I wasn't directing it at you. It is my observation, as a woman and as someone who loves dogs, that many women who become involved in 'rescue' activities tip over from compassion to pity, from effective coping with a staggering tragedy of unwanted dogs to a blinkered desire to 'save' every dog. So do men, but I think it's a female tendency, much as it's a male tendency to not ask for directions. And I repeat: tendency. I'd be so appreciative if nobody went off onto endless posts LOLing about how silly I am to say all women are like this. I'm not. Again: tendency.

Coming from the third world country, where I've seen people went hungry for days, and their healthcare are extremely limited. I'm often amazed at the amount of resources, times, and efforts we put into animals in the U.S, specially when people say they would choose dogs over any human beings . Don't get me wrong, I love my dogs to the moon and back, BUT, if I ever have to face the dreadful choice between a dog and a human being, I would choose a human being.

Sometimes, I wish people would save the extra money they spend on trying to prolong an animal life, i.e, rehabilitating an injured duck (which was on the news a couple years back, and cost more than $20,000 dollars), and send them to the Salvation army, or the Red Cross, so that somewhere, a hungry child can be fed.

i agree. i have loved dogs as long as i have known what they are, but there is a limit to how much i will spend on one. someone once mentioned surgery for a dog for $15,000 in a discussion, and honestly i can't help but calculate how much i could do for an orphaned/abandoned child with that much money. someday i plan to do just that. i think that as rewarding as adopting a dog can be, helping a human child escape death would be all that and beyond.

This may sound cold, but the truth is, it is human nature to feel more for the dog you love than for a child you do not know of. It is impractical to imagine someone sitting in the waiting room deciding on whether to save the dog that gave him more love than most people in his life gave him--and to expect him to suddenly say, "That's too much money for my dog! I think I will just donate it to the Salvation Army and let my dog die instead".

To intercede in this type of human reaction is to create a completely undemocratic society where others determine what is an important and appropriate use for your money.

Yeah . . . also, if you think about it, a parent who has a child who needs a huge amount of surgery to survive could actually save more children if they withheld medical attention and donated the money to kids in a third world country. But because it is THEIR child, they value it more than five hundred children they don't know. It's just human nature.

i totally agree that for me to make the decision for you would be wrong! i am just stating what i myself would do with my money, and agreeing with m&m's viewpoint on dogs.
i personally don't quite understand the feelings/motivation behind putting $20,000 into the duck that m&m mentioned. but that's not to say i would take away someone's right to do so with their own money, nor would i treat them like crap for doing that.

boemy, i suppose some could look at it that way... but for someone like me who doesn't quite see dogs as equal to children, the comparison doesn't exactly work.

As far as the duck goes, unless it was some rare endangered type of duck, I can't fathom why that much money would be spent. $20,000 doesn't sound like money being paid for a one time thing; more, to me, it sounds like that was a lot of stuff they put the poor thing through, rather than an immediate improvement of quality of life.

However, I can completely understand previous posts, regarding feelings towards something you know, versus something you have no relation to at all, and even overseas. But, if there were some human in front of me that needs help, and my animal needed help too, I'd have to make a judgement call on which needed it most. I'm only one person, I can only do so much for the millions of people out there who have less than me. We do what we can, even if we put our pets before those humans we don't know.
I'm an extremely emotional person, myself. I cry when I watch those commercials involving the children who sleep in huts made of scrap metal and wood, and whatever they can find. But they're a million miles away, and right here under my nose are animals being abused, and it hits me closer to home.

This might sound cold, but then again its coming from me

After my family, Chloe comes first, before any person that I do not know, or even know about...

I would not think about it for a second, if I had to chose helping Chloe or someone or something unknown (human or not)...Chloe would be FIRST....

I am going to sound like a heartless bitch . . .

My family and friends come first, and my dogs are firmly in that group. I will do all I can to help my dogs so long as they have a shot at good quality of life. Not once will I think of how many humans I could have helped with the money. I just don't understand how it is relevant. First and foremost, I take care of me and mine. I will do whatever I can to get the best care possible for my dogs, even if I have to go hungry for a while. I'm not going to treat my dogs like inferior beings and just put them down because there are starving orphans in the world. Don't assume I don't care about other human beings, I do, but I owe more devotion to my dogs.

GOOD POSTING!

Absolutely with you 100%.

And to be perfectly truthful, I'd go farther for my dogs than I would for all but maybe one or two people - and they aren't my genetic family. The dogs will go farther for me than any of my genetic family ever would and they've never purposely - or carelessly - hurt me, which is more than I can say for all but a couple of people. I owe them the same love and consideration they give me, and that's a debt I will do my best to honor. They come before my own welfare.

i personally wouldn't say any of you was heartless or cold for feeling that way about your animals! am i heartless or cold for having a bigger soft-spot in my heart for children on the other side of the planet than i do for my pets? i don't think so, either. i still love my pets, you still obviously care about people!

maybe it's because i have a different experience with dogs/pets growing up and was raised around people with a totally different concept of animals? maybe it's because my mom is an orphan from a foreign country? all i know is that i don't quite understand your viewpoint, just as i am sure you don't quite understand mine. and i wouldn't say that's it's "human nature" to care one way vs the other, seeing as we have obviously different feelings on the subject and are all human.

I understand and totally agree with Daaqa's post above. Maybe growing up seeing first hand what hunger can do to a human being, or knowing for sure how much a dollar can do to a beggar kid on the street have something to do with my viewpoint on this. Lets say a friend of mine, who still lives in Vietnam, is a 5th grade teacher, and her base salary is ~$60/month. Her husband is also a teacher who makes about the same. So with as little as $120/month, they support their family which consists of her elder parents & two kids. Of course, the standard of living over there is much different than what it is over here and may not be comparable, but how would I spend hundreds of dollars on my dogs without thinking about her?. A couple months ago, her son was sick, and needed to be hospitalized for a week, which cost three times their combined salary. She emailed me, not to ask for financial help, but for emotional support, but I did switch my dogs to cheaper food, saved on their toys & treats, just so I could send some money over to help her.

Growing up poor makes me appreciate everything a lot more than those who had grown up in a richer family. Comparing my childhood to that of my nieces or nephews' who were born here in the States and have had everything they've ever wanted and more from day one, I can see that they take things for granted way more than i do, I never wasted any food (They'll never understand why a half-eaten leftover burger could matter so much to me!! ), and I could never spend carelessly without thinking about some hungry kids back home.

So, i absolutely in love with my dogs, and would definitely do anything and everything in my power to make sure they have a well-cared for & long, happy life, BUT, if im facing with a choice between helping one of them, or my friend's son, I'd help my friend's son.

I think the way people are raised has a lot to do with it. My parents were not poor. They weren't rich, they still aren't rich, they just put their money into what matters most to them. My dogs matter most to me.

I grew up on a ranch and was left to my own devices quite a bit. My brothers, when they did live with us, are much older than I am, particularly when they were 18-20 and I was 6-7. Rather than deal with my all-adult world outside of school, I would seek out the company of animals. They were my best friends, they still are my best friends. What kind of friend would I be if I just cast them aside? While I've never experienced starvation firsthand, I do know just how terrible it is. It doesn't change the way I feel about my animals.

I'm not having a go at you in particular, M&M's Mommy, what you said just reminded me of something:

I could not take away food/toys/care for my dogs in order to give money to another person. If I need to spend money on something, I am the one that compromises. I take that money off of the funds that go towards me, not those that go towards my dogs. My dogs give me so much and ask so little, I can't do something like that and still feel that I'm doing right by them.

Animals are pure, innocent and seriously underappreciated. I would feel immense guilt if I treated my dogs as if their well being was secondary to that of people I've never met.

Perfectly put, Renee. Exactly how I feel. There are very few people who mean more to me than my pets do.

I COMPLETELY agree with these posts. My dogs show me more devotion and love than most people will in my lifetime. They are my family and friends and I owe them everything under my power to give them the best life possible. They come first before most people I know.
I've eaten a diet of water and slices of cheese to make sure my dogs get the best they can and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Yup, yup and YUP!!!
I'm not great as using the quote feature but I think you know who I stand beside here.
I don't care how I sound, there's nothing I wouldn't do for my dogs. They're honestly right next to my son. The sun rises and sets on them, they're my family, my best friends, my life. If there's anything left over and someone I don't know who's in need, then yes, I'll try to help them...but they stand at the end of a in a pretty long and furry line.

One other point that I think needs to be made is that not everyone supports the same cause in life. My husband and I support many charities and donate to different causes. His are ALL human causes, mine are all animal (except for one). It keeps the balance.
If everyone shared the view that HUMAN KIND was more deserving than ANIMAL KIND, no matter what...I shudder to think what this world would look like.

Yep, doc. I fully feel my calling is to animals. I care about humans very much, too, but I feel my purpose lies with animals.

I care for both animals and people. If it was a choice between Casey and some unknown person I would choose Casey, theres no two ways about it. I would do anything for her and she anything for me. I need Casey more than anyone else on this planet, I could move away from anyone else but Casey, I'd be sad yes but when I lose Casey I will be heart broken.

I'm taking an animal management course because I will do everything in my power to help the animals of this world as I believe they deserve it, there are so many people that don't care and its so sad. I love people but there are a lot of people out there that I have no feelings for because of what they do to the other beings of this world, animals on the other hand are innocent and I love them with all my heart.