Pets - how important they are in your life?

[Royal Flush]

For many people, the idea of selling an animal is just the same as someone selling their child.  Nobody would sell their child,  so why would a person sell an animal they love?   

Because it's an animal!

[Sark79]

You care for an animal the same way you do for a person.  You feed them, provide shelter for them,  take them to the vet if they are sick,  chat to them,  play games with them.   Why would you sell a friend like that?    I would rather be poor than sell my friend.

[madasahatstand]

You care for an animal the same way you do for a person.  You feed them, provide shelter for them,  take them to the vet if they are sick,  chat to them,  play games with them.   Why would you sell a friend like that?    I would rather be poor than sell my friend.

 

[kinboshi]

You care for an animal the same way you do for a person.  You feed them, provide shelter for them,  take them to the vet if they are sick,  chat to them,  play games with them.   Why would you sell a friend like that?    I would rather be poor than sell my friend.

A child and a pet is very different.  A pet is not going to help ensure the survival of your genes - whereas your child carries 50% of your genetic make-up and its survival is very important to you.

A pet is there for companionship. 

[byronkincaid]

Nobody would sell their child

I have heard of parents doing this in both africa and india. if you have 5 children who are starving cos you can't afford to feed them, perhaps selling one of them to feed the other 4 is the only thing they can do.

[kinboshi]

Nobody would sell their child

I have heard of parents doing this in both africa and india. if you have 5 children who are starving cos you can't afford to feed them, perhaps selling one of them to feed the other 4 is the only thing they can do.

Absolutely.  The survival of your genes is what is important (and central to your existence), and although it appears cruel the same thing is seen in nature all the time.  The weakest, smallest, or least-likely to survive (the runt of the litter essentially) is often 'discarded' to ensure the rest of the brood survive.  As humans who can empathise more with others of the species it's far harder to rationalise - and it's very sad that it still has to happen in this day and age.

[RED-DOG]

As humans we have progressed to the stage where we are intelligent enough to realise that it wont really matter very much if our individual genes are not carried forward and can be secure in the knowledge that enough of our peers will procreate to ensure survival of the species.

[madasahatstand]

You care for an animal the same way you do for a person.  You feed them, provide shelter for them,  take them to the vet if they are sick,  chat to them,  play games with them.   Why would you sell a friend like that?    I would rather be poor than sell my friend.

 

I disagree with the part about caring for an animal the same as a person but your point is well made. a dog is a friend and you dont sell out on your friends.

[Jim-D]

I dont think there are many things i wouldnt do for £1Million

[Sark79]

More and more people in modern society choose not to have Kids.  I know I will probably never have Kids,  I am 100% straight but I just can't see myself having Kids or getting married.  For people like me, career orientated individuals, ill people or for gay people, they won't have Kids,  an animal can almost be like a child for some of these people. 

My Dads next door neighbour used to be a right twat and he hated animals. He wasn't good to animals and we have had words about it on more than one occasion.  After he got married, for one reason or another him and his wife couldn't  have Kids of their own. I have heard a few stories about this from a mutual friend, but I won't go into those on here.  Anyway his wife talked him around to getting a dog.  Now he is a much nicer guy and instead of being a hooligan, he is a great dad to the dog.

[Colchester Kev]

Sark ... someone says you must give up your child or your pet otherwise the world will end in 5 minutes ... only you can be a hero and save the world from oblivion .... would it be a hard choice ?


no need to answer... its a hypothetical question, but to try and convince anyone that a pet is like a child is beyond my comprehension.

 

[Sark79]

I guess we will have to agree to disagree  .   Derren Brown wouldn't even be able to  change my mind on this one, even with all his scary Jedi mind powers

[kinboshi]

As humans we have progressed to the stage where we are intelligent enough to realise that it wont really matter very much if our individual genes are not carried forward and can be secure in the knowledge that enough of our peers will procreate to ensure survival of the species.

Survival of the species is not the role of the individual.  Survival of an individual's descendants is of far more importance. 

With the amount of suffering inflicted on other humans in the world I'd also dispute how far civilisation has progressed.  War, poverty, famine could all be addressed if humans were concerned with the survival of all fellow humans (in order to perpetuate the species).  Our altruism doesn't quite reach that far.

Interesting thread though.

[littlemissC]

if i sold my dog jasper i would loose something from the heart of my daughter lily.i got jasper when he was 12 weeks old and lily was 10 months.they play together,sleep together and look after one another.its hard to imagine one without the other.
no money could take the place of their relationship.
FRAN

[RED-DOG]

Survival of the species is not the role of the individual.  Survival of an individual's descendants is of far more importance. 

If an individual has descendants, it is important (to the individual) that they survive.

It is not important for any individual to have descendants in the first place.