Lydia Lovric
The Province

September 19, 2005

Judging by the influx of hostile e-mails in my inbox this week, there are quite a few readers out there who ardently love animals but are rather indifferent when it comes to human beings.

I'm not surprised by how much people love their pets.

What surprises me is how little they seem to love their neighbours.

Obviously, when it comes to Hurricane Katrina and the resulting devastation in New Orleans, the best-case scenario would be to save all of the residents, human and non-human.

But we know that circumstances made it impossible to save every two-legged creature, let alone those of the four-legged variety.

If people wanted to stay in their homes, surrounded by rising and toxic floodwater, it was their call. They had the right to stay by their pets' side and take their chances.

My qualm is over those pet owners who insisted that rescuers take their pets, knowing there were literally thousands of people still waiting to be saved.

Should the guy down the street really wait another day on his rooftop, without food or water, because Fluffy took his spot? Is it really wrong to suggest that the people of New Orleans be saved first before attempting to rescue the animals?

I will give readers the benefit of the doubt and assume that many of the animal lovers who wrote in to berate me simply misunderstood what I was trying to say.

It is far more disturbing to assume that there are those out there who understood my position and still disagreed so vehemently. Sadly, there seem to be many

people who would trade the life of a neighbour if it would spare the life of a pet.

Despite what you may think, I truly am an animal lover. In fact, part of the reason I opt to work from home is so that I can foster animals for our local animal shelter.

I grew up with animals and and have never been without a pet for long. My husband and I adopted Ben, one of our many foster kittens, after the SPCA announced it would kill Ben rather than pay for his medication.

We even scrapped our anniversary plans last year so that we could put the money toward Ben's vet care instead.

Yet somehow, I am not an animal lover because, if it came right down to it, I would rather save my neighbour than my pet -- yes, even the neighbour who insists on mowing his lawn at 6 o'clock in the morning.

The most disturbing letter I received wasn't the one saying I should do the world a favour and drown. It was the one written by a woman who says she'd make sure her kids were rescued -- but would then stay behind with her two dogs.

What kind of mother would put her own life in such peril, perhaps leaving her kids without a parent?

An animal lover, for sure.

But does she really deserve the title of "mom?"

What this world needs isn't more animal lovers. It's more people who recognize the value of human life.

Lydia Lovric can be reached through her website: www.lydialovric.com
© The Vancouver Province 2005