Quite seriously, it would seem to me more damaging to the childs future, to lose his pup. Dads, a dime a dozen, good dog?, life confirming.
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Iâve had a few good dogs. Iâm awfully glad my dad outlived them all. YMMV
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Of course. That is sound reasoning if you feel that gladness.
My reasoning was more along the line of, if saved father before child, father would hate you for it, ditto if saved mother before child, she would hate you for it, and if they DID NOT feel the same way about their dog as they do their child, they are not humane enough for me to give their pov credence. Dogs are our dependents, members of our family, wouldnât be in the car if adult had not insisted, trust us to protect them, and all the other varied reasons one would think it right to save the child before you saved yourself.
To all intents and purposes, simply furry children, deserving of the same considerations.
So your theoretic discussion would be more like âYes, the kind stranger saved you, me, and your brother-in-fur, and of course that is what your father would have wanted, his children who he himself couldnât save, were saved. It is sad, but we are all simply piles of chemicals that have very limited duration anyway, you will be dead yourself, soon enough, might as well have been him, thenâ.
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Have you any human children of your own?
It is pretty to think that, as a parent, the superficially noble sacrifice of oneself in favor of the life of the helpless but ever-faithful family pooch is indeed the highest and fundamentally most correct decision one could make under the admittedly trying circumstances of attempting to extricate oneâs family from the burning wreckage of the Volvo, but life doesnât always present us with easy answers. Now and then, as with Sophie, you gotta make a Choice that you really donât want to have to make, and attempt to live with it. Orphaning oneâs child so that Fido might live might be a mitzvah for your furry⌠uh⌠âchild,â but would be a profoundly irresponsible choice toward your real one. The dog will comfort the kid to some extent for the rest of its days. Its ability to protect, provide for, educate, support, and just simply be there for the human kid, compared to, say, that selfless dad immolating on the front seat, is limited at best. Not every day are we called upon to perform this cold calculus, and unhappy lies the sleepless head that has to live with the regret of such sacrifice, but at the bottom of it all lies the balance between the well-being and childhood support (which extends for the rest of your life) you provide to your own kid, weighed against the life of your favorite non-human animal. In your absence, said doggie is going to have to clean up a lot of kid-barf, change several hundred diapers, land a lucrative paying job, attend a great many little-league games, read innumerable bedtime stories, cook a bunch of meals, teach a lot of lessons, and just do a whole lot of dog-incapable work to make up for your noble parental sacrifice. And yâknow what? Nobodyâs ever gonna even thank him for all that.
But noble Dad, who expired so that Fido would not? At least heâll make a sweet story for the evening news. The goldbricker.
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Some remnants of a burnt car I rode past on my bicycle trek last year, when bicycles and pedestrians had to take the old road off highway 10.
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In a contrived situation like this, first Iâm going to look around for the nutcase who set it up, and is probably sighted on the car doors with a rifle.
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Baby first, because itâs helpless. Dog next, because itâs innocent. Woman next, because chivalry, and sheâs welcome to call me sexist afterwards.
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Finally! I should have known it would be you, @Donald_Petersen.
Orphaning a child is not in any way a kindness to the child. The dog can save itself. Forget asking the parents what they wantâŚask the child who lost one or both parents, 20 years later, what they wished you had done.
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It wouldnât matter. Iâm physically disabled, so the car would probably explode before I manage to get anyone out.
Five victims instead of four.
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I have been in a car that caught fire, but contrived situations like in this post just donât happen.
If they did, I would probably do nothing, because if I were to intervene there would be five dead bodies instead of four. If I had to save someone, I would prioritize by who would be easiest, then who would be most helpful in rescuing the others.
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I donât think reasoning, thatâs speculative emotional fan fiction; rather the opposite of reasoning.
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Four minutes from the first sighting of flames to the entire stand being on fire. I had to watch a video of it as part of my training to work at Carlisle United. I never want to watch it again.
My opinion is that the author of that may or may not.
The character that author is playing at being (or honestly has), does not.
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Yes, disasters happen, but theyâre never âyou have to intervene, and you have to save three out of the four, and you have to do it in such an order that evidences a calm, reasoned thought process that everyone has during an emergencyâ 
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I think you have the wrong end of the stick, it wouldnât be my dog or kid, nor would the father be making the [quote=âDonald_Petersen, post:27, topic:95360â]
superficially noble sacrifice of oneself in favor of the life of the helpless but ever-faithful family pooch
[/quote]
It would be me, making that choice for him.
If he wanted to make his own choices in the matter, maybe something like a banner on the side of his car?. Or like those âdo not resuscitateâ tattoos?. Or just drive a volvo, under the speed limit, with all due precautions or something. Not me to blame for his carelessness, is it?.
Well, you are wrong, I have a 26 year old son, three grandchildren. So, you know, your opinion was based entirely on the fact that I didnât think the way YOU think I ought to.
How else though, as this was what the question was constructed to reveal. If it was asked of people of half the cultures on earth (that are not of the obvious one you and I share) people would ask " a male child? " I suspect.
You will notice it isnât me telling other people how THEY ought to think. [quote=âtigkiwi, post:21, topic:95360â]
If it was me, as the male, I would be first astonished, then furious with anyone who did anything else.
[/quote]
Except in the specific variation which I have noted above, where I would be angry with them for my dogs sake, but after the fact.
ÂŻ\(ă)_/ÂŻ
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I need to know a couple specifics before I can answer that-
- What is the make, model, and year of the car?
- How close are emergency services?
- What kind of dog is it?
- Can I tell whether any of the carâs occupants are Episcopalian?
- Is the baby clearly identifiable as such, or is there a possibility that itâs a cabbage or something wearing booties?
- It is a Friday? Because that totally changes the equation, unless Iâm on vacation.
- What am I wearing- Is it flame retardant, and will it look good on CNN?
- Are there any bumper stickers that could clue me into the political/philosophical leanings of the carâs occupants?
- Do I have ready access to anything I would need to care for survivors until someone shows up- Diapers, kibble, bottled water, possibly a small cheese plate with well aged cheddar and a brie thatâs creamy but not runny and pairs well with a nice fig spread?
- What, if anything, is playing on the car stereo?
- Timing- Will there be an opportunity to do the cinematic jumping-away-from-the-explosion hero shot, and will it be caught on camera?
- Is there any possibility that any of the carâs occupants are werewolves?
Seriously, I need to know all of this before I can answer.
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Yeah, she was a real piece of work(kept wonderful friends, as well). Alarmingly good instincts for PR, it must be admitted.
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