Would you die for your pet?

[mrs.jacinthe]

Honestly, until my boy, Cat, died a few years ago, I'd have said yes. I absolutely would risk my life to save him. (We live or die together, amirite?) But now, I don't know. We have two cats who would be tough to catch in a fire scenario and I'm not nearly as emotionally glued to either of them as Cat. I think the dog would run out the door the second I opened it, so we'd be good with her.

So I guess my short answer is probably not.

[cabbagecabbage]

Fuck no. I won’t even be majorly inconvenienced for my pets. They’re pets.

[sonrisa]

Feb 6, 2018 15:47:11 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Additionally, when my dog is scared he runs away from me. I'm not chasing him through a burning house while he howls at me and runs away. I love that dog immensely, but no thank you. I'll make sure the doors are open if possible.

I talked to someone who had that exact scenario - but it was the cat and her husband who refused to leave without the pet. She left some windows open and left. The cat left the house on its own before the husband made it out. 

[imojoebunny]

I have chased my runner of a dog down the middle of a busy street (thankfully, kind people stopped their cars, and traffic), but I would not go back into a burning house to get my dogs. I watched my neighbor's house burn to the ground, it went from smoke coming from the attic, with them playing in the back yard, and not noticing, someone's child noticed, and stopped to tell them about the smoke, it looked normal inside. A couple of minutes later, it was a ball of fire inside and out before the fire department even made it the 3 blocks from the fire station.

[HRH Queen Dick I]

I may kill HER myself if she doesn't stop shedding.

[letsgetweird]

Spoiler alert

[outnumbered]

Feb 6, 2018 15:59:07 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Those of you who say yes - just remember that the firefighters are still going to try and save you at their own peril.

My brother is a firefighter.  I do not want him to die for somebody's pet.  Besides I actually doubt many people here would enter a burning building.  I have seen a house fire.  The heat and smoke were intense.  It was impossible to get too close.

[greysgirl]

Definitely not

[devonpow]

I wouldn’t willingly make the decision to die for her but I can definitely see myself running into a burning house for her because in moments of high pressure I am not logical and I would do everything I could to get her out. Hopefully DH will be there to restrain me.

[jigsy]

When I read this title, I keep hearing - 

[starburst604]

If you had asked me before I was a parent I might have said yes, within reason. I could see me going crazy looking for my cat
before I was forced to get out. But now that I have a child who relies on me to be alive I’ll say no. I think our cat would hide in the basement as soon as a smoke alarm went off and it would be nearly impossible to find him in a fire.

[Aquatica]

Yeah, no. I may love my future pet (no pet at the moment) but not to risk my life. Being there for my child and in her life is way more important.

[CurlyQ284]

No, but also my dog is pretty much my shadow and is 15 lbs so i can grab him and go.

I work from home and he naps on my feet under my desk.

[sessy]

I adore my cat more than I think is normal, but no I would not die for him.

[boxertdog]

SPOILER ALERT. JEEEEEZ. 

[meganew]

I wouldn’t run back in, but my H would without giving any thought to his personal safety or family. It would be instinct. He loves Walter cat more than me, I think.

[daisyfay25]

Feb 6, 2018 16:09:23 GMT -5 letsgetweird said:

Spoiler alert

Shit I'm sorry, I didn't even think about it and that was dumb. I edited my post.

[starlily]

No, although this thread made me realize I should keep an extra leash in our bedroom.

Our kids are 3-1/2 and 7, and 30 and 40lbs respectively. Our dog is 12 and about 25lbs. In an emergency, we'd each probably need to carry one of the girls. The dog always sleeps in our bedroom though, so in theory we'd be able to leash him before evacuating.

ETA: Even during the day, he always stays in whichever room we're in, so in theory we should be able to get him out with us. I wouldn't go into a burning building to look for him though.

[jigsy]

Feb 6, 2018 15:09:18 GMT -5 lexxasaurus said:

jigsy I think what you said in the second part rings true to me. Even if it wasn't calculated to go in and get her - or stay to save her - I think my knee-jerk reaction would be to run back in. At that moment, I don't think I would be thinking about my safety, and I would just panic about her being in there, and dying. Thankfully I live in a studio, and I know the two places she would hide, and I would grab her quickly, hopefully.

I have the same comfort of living in a studio, so I don't worry about not being able to locate Mr. Jiggles. I have thought about what I need to do to be able to use the fire escape ladder with him. I have considered buying a puppy bjorn for that reason. lol

[sapphireblue]

I like to think that I would not but I could see myself in the moment not thinking about the danger to me and running back in.

Hopefully I would be smarter than that though.

[lostrn]

Logically no but I really love my dog so I could see myself not thinking straight and doing something stupid. I love my cat too but he's 18, I'm pretty sure he's deaf (or getting there) and sleeps through just about everything, so it seems like he might slip from sleep to death and it wouldn't be horrible. The dog would be anxious and freaked out and I would definitely be more worried about him.

[sapphireblue]

Feb 6, 2018 15:07:20 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Also, people always think I’m weird when I mention this but I’ve deliberately never had a dog that was too big or heavy for me to easily carry. We have steps and I want to be able to get them out in an emergency and if they had health issues, I want to be able to lift them in the car, carry them up and down the steps etc.

I don't think this is weird, I think it is smart.

When my exH moved out, I had a shepherd mix. I remember realizing that if there was a fire I couldn't carry him out on my own, and as he got older and had a lot of trouble with the stairs, I couldn't just scoop him up and carry him.

I love all dogs but am naturally more drawn to bigger dogs, but I think my next dog will be smaller for this reason.

[agnes]

Would I die for my dog and cat? No. Would I risk my life? Probably

[somersault72]

This question gives me a lot of anxiety, lol. I don't think I would, but I think DH would and I'd probably have to stop DS from going in after them, God love him.

[jenny1980]

Well, it's really bugging me that the question is "would you die for your pet" but then people are answering a different question (which I understand was in the OP).

Still....people are going to go into a BURNING BUILDING (have you ever been near a burning building??) to save a pet? Who will live (hopefully) a fraction of the remainder of your lifespan? When people answer these questions, they're always assuming they will save the pet and themselves. Odds are you'll both die. DUMB.

[jenny1980]

And what does having kids have to do with anything?? It's not like having children is what keeps me from running into a goddamn burning building. Jesus! Lol.

[bcv513]

I probably would have before I had kids. Now there's no way in hell. And I love my dog

[wildrice]

Feb 7, 2018 11:22:50 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

And what does having kids have to do with anything?? It's not like having children is what keeps me from running into a goddamn burning building. Jesus! Lol.

I'm sure it's not what people actually meant, but it always reads to me like "my life is more important because I have CHILDREN to think of!". Never mind that those of us without children also have people who love us and need us to take care of ourselves.

Just another way our culture likes to make it sound like women only have worth if they are mothers. We do this without thinking, but it really rubs me the wrong way.

[Que?]

Feb 7, 2018 11:22:50 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

And what does having kids have to do with anything?? It's not like having children is what keeps me from running into a goddamn burning building. Jesus! Lol.

Right? It shouldn't matter if you would be leaving children alone in the world or not. No human being should value their life less than an animal who lives a fraction of your life span. It's fucking sad, really.

[clairedunphy]

Absolutely not.
Also, I don't think my life is more valuable or important because I have kids, but I personally just can't help but think of their sad faces and them growing up without a mother. Like, I would have felt very bitter if I knew my mom had died for our dog. That would stop me. But I don't think ANYONE should risk their life for a pet.