Would you save your dog or a human?

[Overread]

Seen this in another place and its brought quite a discussion - so lets see how we do here

You are walking along the shore of a lake one day, when suddenly you hear a commotion on the water. When you look out across the lake, you see two figures drowning. One is your dog, (or cat, for you cat-lovers out there) and one is a man whom you've never met before in your life. Both are drowning, and you know that you will only be able to save one before the other one drowns. Who do you save?

[ratsy]

Truth be told I would go for my own dog. I didnt even have to think on this one. It may sound callous but my dog is a huge part of my family. It's my wife, my puppy and me.

Of course if I was drowning and your dog was drowning at the same time...please save me. I am human after all.

[Rodders]

I would say that i'd go for my dog, but in real life i think that the adrenaline would kick in and instinctually you'd rescue the man.

I would have to go back for the dog though.

[nixie]

My dog, I know it sounds cruel but my dog is part of the family, loved and adored.

[Will83]

I know it's breaking the hypothetical rules and thus the real question, but I'd not return to shore until I had both. I couldn't live with myself for making such a decision either way. I'd go after my dog first, though.

[dustinzgirl]

The person.

Sorry.

People before animals.

[Ursa major]

The human: losing one's pet would be very sad, but think how devastating the loss of the human might be to their family and friends.

[Interference]

First, swim out to them, making sure to bring a stone of sufficient mass with you. Second, knock the human unconscious; discard the stone, you won't need it anymore. Third, put the dog/cat on the floating torso and bring them both back to shore.

OR

Grab a suitably sized log and swim out with it, attach the human to the floating log and rescue the animal. If the human has any sense, they'll be able to follow, otherwise you still have time to go back and get them.

OR

Get a stick, swim out. When in the vicinity of the drownings, throw the stick towards the shore and shout "Fetch!" The dog will chase the stick while you rescue the human.

No animals were harmed in the making of this series of short drownings.

[Urien]

This is a variation on an old philosophical problem. What does an unknown human mean to you versus a known and loved animal?
I think we all think we know what we should do. That is save the unknown human.
I think I would be paralysed into inaction and they'd both drown.

A variation on the theme is at what point would you sacrifice your child for unknown humans. For instance: Rescue your daughter who will die otherwise, or input the deactivation code on a large nuclear weapon in London. (Or a major city in the country of your choice.)

And this is odd. I believe I would sacrifice entire nations to save my immediate family. On that basis, I should save the dog.

What would you do?

[pyan]

The man.


He (or his family) may be grateful enough to pay you a large reward - your dog would merely shake itself dry all over you, then put large muddy pawprints all over your car's seats....

[Will83]

The more I think about it the more I think it comes down to the issue of responsibility. I am responsible for my dog; I walk him, feed him, get him all his immunizations and ensure that he's not in danger. If my dog were drowning, I would be remiss in my responsibility as an owner not to do everything I can within reason to save him. It's not unlike parenting in many ways.

An adult human being, on the other hand, is responsible for him or herself. That doesn't mean I woulnd't be willing to help out another adult, I certainly would make my best effort to save him or her, but saving this person wouldn't be my responsibility it would be me volunteering to put myself in danger to save them.

I wouldn't be volunteering to save my dog.

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by Will83

If my dog were drowning, I would be remiss in my responsibility as an owner not to do everything I can within reason to save him.

But you would also be denying your common humanity to let another human die without helping them.

(I hope you'd be prepared to explain yourself to the person's grieving family why you let him or her die when you might have saved them.)

[chrispenycate]

I don't own a dog/am not owned by a cat for the time being, and all those with which I have associated have been better swimmers than me.

If the small human was a small child it would take automatic precedence; I'm hard-wired that way. Given another model of human, I might debate the choice, and end up saving nobody.

[Saeltari]

The dog.

The human is probably trying to scam you, and if faced with the family I would ask why they expect me to be responsible for him when they obviously weren't and were they in on the scam?

You can be pretty sure the dog is not trying to take you for anything.

[Culhwch]

That's gotta be the dumbest scam I've ever heard. 'Right, I'll just swim out a way, pretend I'm drowning, then that joker will come and rescue me and thus will be in my debt for the... oh, wait, I'd be in his debt. Hmmm, lucky I thought this through before I swam out here. Out here? Oh crap. And I can't swim. And now he's going for his dog! What the hell is his dog doing out here? That's a remarkable coincidence. And how did I know it was his dog? Gurgle, gurgle, drown....'