Just because we are the same species doesn’t mean jack. I have been lied to, betrayed, and hurt by my fellow human beings.
Animals and humans are all just a bunch of cells. I don’t see anything that sets humans much better than dogs.
Obviously, I can’t speak for the others who preferred to rescue their dog, but I have had the experience of my mother dying of cancer and slowly losing her mind in the process. There goes your theory.
Baby versus dog? More difficult, I agree.
Having not been through such a situation yet, I say with firm conviction - my dog, without a moment’s doubt. Maybe my opinion would change after I experience the pain of losing a loved one. Maybe. But as of today, I’d take my dog over the stranger.
Selfish, I know. So sue me.
Humans don’t care about killing other animals, or even each other. I say yes.
Wow, could you find a broader brush to paint everyone with? I don’t know what kind of people you’ve been around to make you feel this way, but I hope you don’t turn out the same as them. Although your willingness to condemn someone to death because of crappy past experiences with people indicates that you’re well on your way to that eventuality.
My dog gets saved, of course.
All this talk of helping out a ‘fellow human’ and ‘the brotherhood of man’ is heartwarming and all, but a bunch of hypocritical rot.
Everyday that petowner feeds his dog, he is not giving that money (dare I say, ‘and food’?) to charity. Everyday, people die of starvation in the world. You chose the life of your dog over the life of an anonymous human being. The rest of you non-pet owners aren’t off the hook, either. You bought a TV? What, with all the starvation going on in the world, and you spent a couple hundred life-giving dollars on a TV?
Kaiser gets saved, Brutus goes home happy to feed Kaiser and watch his new TV, and they all (well…) live happily ever after.
There’s a big difference between not donating to some nebulous charity and letting a person die right in fron of you when you could have prevented it. There’s really no comparison.
What about the agony I’d go through knowing that I deliberately let my dog die by drowning (a personal fear of mine) after so many years of friendship (she lived 17 years), so that I could save someone I’d never met.
Let’s not forget the agony of my sister, and brothers, and parents, and their knowing that Sandy died as a result of my decision. When Sandy (my dog) finally did die of old age, she was the same age as my sister. Sandy was as much a family member as any of us humans.
You should also know that Sandy–at least once–put her life on the line to guard mine. A bear had invaded our wilderness campsite and Sandy chased it into a tree and then drove it off. Later that day Roving Ranger Dan told us to be ware because there was an “aggressive female with two cubs” in the valley.
So you’re asking me to choose between a stranger, or my friend for over half my life who has at least once defended my own life.
I’m saving my dog.
Nebulous charity? Au contraire! There are many charities, (Doctors without Borders comes to mind) that are far from nebulous. They are saving lives every day. With your donations, they could save more. With my donations, they could save more, but I won’t give 'em a red cent.
Every day, we all make decisions that if made differently, would save lives. We choose not too.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not being judgemental. My little Kaiser snookums is ‘just a dog’, but hell, I would probably kill someone to save him, much less let someone die through an act of omission. (Technically, my parents dog, but who does he come running to when we all call him? Hell ya, me!)
My dog’s name is Brutus 
And let me second what Brutus has just stated.
Right now, I feel like going home and giving my dog a great big hug and then coming back to work!!
In every news story I’ve ever heard, the rescuer drowns and the hapless human and bedraggled dog somehow manage to struggle ashore; I’d not rescue either, but run to the nearest phone and call the coastguard.
I second Brutus’s points. I have an obligation to my dog. I have no obligation to such random stranger. And arguments about his possible family are bunk. He may well be a serial killer and I may be saving dozens by letting him drown. There’s no way to know for sure.
bing
I’ve already chosen. My cats get fed with money I could have used to help a person.
And my charitable money goes to… animal rescue.
Julie
8 out of 10 cats prefer to be fed with cat food.
A Hahahaha
I’d choose my dog. I feel that canine life is inherently more valuable than human life. Hell, I’d switch places with the dog and drown myself to save my dogs life.
Mine have very expensive tastes!
Er, or something?
Julie
I wouldn’t save either. No use making me a third victim that could possibly die. Instead I would dial 911 for help and let the pros handle it.
Of course if I had to save one or the other I would probably help which ever one has been in the longest, probably the dog if the human went after it or vice versa. If I didn’t know which one was in first I would save the human first because they would be much easier to save since they would understand what would exactly need to be done, if you know what I mean?
Thus the flaw with all such hypothetical questions: They demand a rational justification for irrational, gut-level decisions.
If you’d save your dog instead of a stranger, then that’s what’ll happen. Don’t torture moral philosophy trying to justify it, though.
From a purely practical standpoint, a drowning human is a very dangerous thing and it’s a very very bad idea to get within arm’s reach of them in the water, as they will try to climb on top of you in order to stay afloat, and could end up drowning you.
I’m not so sure a dog can do that.
I’d ask the stranger this question. If they answered “I’d save my dog,” I’d push them under myself.