Compassion for people

I really enjoy your perspective. I agree wholeheartedly with this post. I've seen over and over in the rescue I used to work with the "heroics" to save a dog that has bitten people, who doesn't want to be touched, who is very old and unhealthy. All for what? The dog cannot be placed and ends up dying in foster care after a year and thousands of dollars of care. And there are healthy, vibrant dogs dying in shelters who CAN be placed! Ugh!

Thank you for this post. My whole family loves our dog but every one, especially the kids, are aware that people always come first. The puppy is not their sister, nor my fur-baby (who on earth ever came up with that term?) but a well-loved family pet.

However, I really don't know how much I would spend to save a dog. I guess I hope I never have to find out.

And thank you to Chris for pointing out Bedlam Farm. I have that site bookmarked now too.

You make an excellent point in this post. Human safety always must come first. I had to make the tough decision once to euthanize a family pet that I was afraid would bite my kids and in fact, she did bite one of them, though not "seriously". I wasn't willing to put my kids at further risk. It wasn't an easy decision, but then again it was.

Lindsay I think this post is a mantra we animal lovers need to keep in our back pockets, pull out and remind ourselves to always keep our animal relationships in perspective. Jon Katz writes about this often on his Bedlam Farm blog. He has received so much judgement from readers who were outraged when he had to put his dog Orson down after he bit 3 people. I only hope I would have the same courage. As always thanks for the thoughtful post.

Lindsay you've really made me think with this post. I read the part about risking your life for your pet, and my gut reaction was, "Of course I'd risk my life for Jasper, I'd do anything for him." Then I stopped and thought about it. And the pain my boyfriend would go through losing me would be so much worse than if we lost Jasper. Let alone the pain my family would feel. So you're right, even if it sounds and feels hard saying it.