[dila813]

That is so sad.

I love my cats and dogs, but I would surrender their lives for a stranger. Human life is sacred.

[randomhero97]

Human life is sacred.

Yes, Stalin's, Hitler's, Mao's, Caligula's, Attila's, etc. etc. lives were very sacred. /s

[Skywalk]

Even an evil, sadistic stranger-—really?

Hey, Ted Bundy’s life is on the line. Your pets or Ted Bundy?

Seriously?

Thankfully, that choice is never offered to us but I subscribe a bit more to a Randian analysis here. I would sacrifice 1,000 of you for the life of my mother. It does NOT mean that I hate you or wish you ill or would not be heartbroken but I value her more than I value a thousand strangers and only a fool would choose otherwise. (Different when it’s your own life, that’s up to you to measure.)

But my beloved animal companion who shows me love and interest and affection or some stranger? I don’t know—is it a kid? Is it a hero? Is it someone I can invest some value in? Is it a killer? If it’s a murderer, rapist or tyrant, I’m not interested in prolonging their existence—so my pet would win 100 percent of the time.