I'm a mother, too. I'm sorry my child has had to sacrifice 3 pets fleeing a foreign country in turmoil, but we're alive, and that's all that matters. Our family survived. We suffer PTSD, and we're sad about our pets, but we thank God every day that we got out alive and we're together. Yeah, I miss my cat that had to be on my computer monitor or on my neck, and my GSD that was a genius of a dog, but I'd miss my child a lot more, or any other family member. It's been up close and personal for me. This kid will get over it. How many kids won't that will lose family. People have to come first. Believe me, I'm a softie- my parents threatened to kick me out in college if I brought home one more pet.
I remember my mother, an elementery school teacher, coming home after "Jaws" was released. I remember her being in shock that the kids were so upset that the dog was killed, but could care less about the humans. Somehow, they could all feel for the pets, but screw the people. I know now it's a psychological defense mechanism. Yes, I love animals, but people are dying. They take priority.
Children practice learning to love and protect smaller, helpless creatures, by loving and protecting pets. The learning comes in very handy later, when they become parents.
I don't understand the need to pontificate on this topic as if this were somehow a moral choice. It is NOT.
If this were a question of human rescue personnel being diverted to save animals, you'd have a point about "priorities."
Or if this were a matter of taxpayers' money being diverted from humans for the purpose of rescuing animals, then you'd have a point.
But neither of these situations exist. There are thousands and thousands of human rescue personnel already in N.O. Thousands of victims have already been rescued by our heroic Coast Guard.
Humans who remain stranded are NOT stranded because someone is rescuing an animal instead.
No. They're still stranded because (a) it's very difficult to get to them and rescue them safely and/or (b) local officials are incompetent in implementing the BILLIONS of $$$ and THOUSANDS of rescue personnel made available to them.
So you have no point -- or if you do, try to make it again without trying to make a humans vs. animals conflict, where none exists.