I love dogs. I always have. Like most kids, I remember my siblings and I begging my parents for a dog and, even though the dog they eventually brought home was the worst dog ever, I still loved the thing. In 1981 Peg and I got a dog. It was a year before our first daughter was born and I think I convinced Peg to get one by telling her that if she could keep a dog alive then she could probably keep a baby alive. We ended up getting both so my ruse worked! Shadow was a great dog. He was one of a litter of 10 rolly polly puppies that my aircraft commanders’ champion chocolate lab had after an un-sanctioned relationship with a neighborhood mutt. He was one of the most affectionate, obedient and kid friendly dogs I’ve ever met. He gave us 13 great years and my daughter Erin still has his collar. I love dogs. Now it’s time for the real point .
Sadly, my animal loving friends will ignore everything I wrote in the first paragraph.
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend that has crept into the psyche of our society. That trend is the attribution of near human life value to animals. It’s weird. Otherwise intelligent people talk about their dogs and cats like they are their children or even grandchildren. Thousands of dollars are spent on veterinarians for surgery or even chemotherapy while there is immense human suffering in the world. Think about it, to the vast majority of the world, dogs and cats are dinner. What must they think when we spend what they make in a year to save the lives of an appetizer. I am certainly not saying that we should be cruel to animals. They offer companionship and affection and we have an obligation to treat them humanely but, in the end, they are just animals. Here’s the way I approach the pet situation.
Before you get that puppy, kitten, turtle, fish, snake, goat, lizard, or whatever, you have to have an idea of “how much is too much”. In other words, what is an unreasonable amount to spend on animal. Are you willing to forego saving for your kids college education, or funding your IRA, or making the mortgage payment, or paying your electric bill, or going into debt for an animal? Have an actual number in mind. Maybe you set aside a “pet fund” and if the vet bills exceed the fund, it’s time to replace Fido. However you do it, you just can’t give into the emotional, illogical concept of “whatever it takes”.
There is a real moral and societal danger to overvaluing animal life. When we raise the value of animals we, in effect, lower the value of human life. Look at our culture. At the same time we spend outrageous amounts on pets, we encourage abortion, effectively euthanize seniors through death panels and enslave large portions of our population in gilded welfare cages.
My old friend Paul Bradley is from Montana and is the closest thing to a cowboy that I’ve ever known. One day he was loading a particularly ornery horse into a trailer when it bucked. He was wearing a sturdy pair of gloves, but when the horse bucked it managed to pinch off the end of one of his fingers between it and the side of the trailer. He was not happy. With his fingertip still in the glove, he dragged the horse from the trailer, pulled his .45 from his holster, put it to the horses head and pulled the trigger. There was a bloodcurdling scream from a 100 yards away and an animal rights activist, who was attending the rodeo, had him arrested and brought up on animal cruelty charges. At the hearing, the judge only asked two questions. Was it your horse? Did you put it down humanely? After an affirmative response to both questions he simply said, “case dismissed”. That happened thirty years ago and I’m afraid that if the same thing happened today, Paul would be doing hard time.
Animals exist for the benefit of mankind. Without man, the earth has absolutely no value. We are the pinnacle of God’s creation and we need to acknowledge that by exercising both the responsibilities and privileges of the position. As much as I loved my dog, I love every human on earth more.
hoveringoversend 