This got me to thinking about why I have never had a pet that died a natural death. They were either killed by another animal, or got very sick, and I had them euthanized. What is it about natural death (and suffering) that scares me for my pets, but for humans, I don’t want to see us euthanized even if we are suffering?
Getting run over by a car is unnatural?
I don't mean to trivialize the subject, but I think the difference lies in the idea that we as humans have a capacity for, thus responsibility for, self-determination that animals lack.
At any rate, I'm guessing that an ethicist, or a pro-life one, would argue something like that.
You raise an interesting point. I wouldn't wish to see a pet of mine suffer if I could do something to mitigate or ameliorate the suffering. I couldn't consider the same thing for a human. Interesting double standard that we maintain.
(I like to think my McNuggets today died a natural death...)
Though we all love our pets and pets certainly have “personalities,” they do not have souls. God gave man dominion over all other living creatures, but NOT over other men.