Dog's Life vs Human's Life

[Revoltingest]

I recently ran across something in the news.
A man was killed (pumped full of rifle rounds)
by cops because he threatened to knife a dog.

Comments all supported killing the man.
This struck me as odd. I'd grant the human
a greater right to life. If he killed the dog,
just prosecute'm for the crime.

What say y'all. No need for a poll.

 

[Stevicus]

There are some people who care more about their dogs than they care about their fellow humans.

Do you have a link to the story?

 

[SalixIncendium]

A life is a life. I don't place greater value on a life because it happens to be a human one.

If the man had threatened to knife a human, would the shooting be justified? Or would you have been okay with the guy killing the human and just being prosecuted for the crime?

 

[Mock Turtle]

I sense a slippery slope in here somewhere. Since when has there been a law as to a human life being forfeit for anything other than killing another human? One can make a case for not killing any animal in such circumstances, but, like killing whilst resisting arrest, it seems that some are taking the law into their own hands and bypassing judge and jury.

 

[Stevicus]

I sense a slippery slope in here somewhere. Since when has there been a law as to a human life being forfeit for anything other than killing another human? One can make a case for not killing any animal in such circumstances, but, like killing whilst resisting arrest, it seems that some are taking the law into their own hands and bypassing judge and jury.

I suppose it could be argued that a human with a knife is a threat to other humans in close proximity. Whether he threatens the dog may be incidental, but even if there was no dog, the fact that he had a knife and refused to drop it when commanded to do so would escalate the situation.

 

[Revoltingest]

Do you have a link to the story?

I decided against it because some of
the circumstances would be polarizing.
Keep'n it hypothetical & simpler to
avoid derailing the train.

 

[Revoltingest]

I suppose it could be argued that a human with a knife is a threat to other humans in close proximity.

Let's not make assumptions that
fundamentally change the issue.

 

[Revoltingest]

A life is a life. I don't place greater value on a life because it happens to be a human one.

If the man had threatened to knife a human, would the shooting be justified? Or would you have been okay with the guy killing the human and just being prosecuted for the crime?

All lives are equal...bugs, pigeons, cows, dogs, humans?

 

[Stevicus]

Let's not make assumptions that
fundamentally change the issue.

Okay, but at least from the facts derived from the given scenario, it is established that the assailant had a knife and that the police were called by somebody, presumably a human being who believed the situation warranted it.

 

[SalixIncendium]

All lives are equal...bugs, pigeons, cows, dogs, humans?

Yes.

 

[Revoltingest]

Okay, but at least from the facts derived from the given scenario, it is established that the assailant had a knife and that the police were called by somebody, presumably a human being who believed the situation warranted it.

Man killed for threatening dog.
Warranted?
That is the issue.

 

[Revoltingest]

Yes.

This would pose a big problem for law enforcement.
Shoot farmers about to cut off the head of a chicken,
in order to save its life? Prosecute fishermen for murder?
Seems most impractical.

 

[Stevicus]

Man killed for threatening dog.
Warranted?
That is the issue.

Man with a knife killed for threatening a dog. The fact that he's carrying a weapon which could potentially harm humans makes it more than just "threatening a dog."

 

[SalixIncendium]

This would pose a big problem for law enforcement.
Shoot farmers about to cut off the head of a chicken,
in order to save its life? Prosecute fishermen for murder?
Seems most impractical.

You omitted the part where the man intended to kill the dog for food. My bad.

 

[JustGeorge]

**Moved to General Debates**​

 

[Revoltingest]

Man with a knife killed for threatening a dog. The fact that he's carrying a weapon which could potentially harm humans makes it more than just "threatening a dog."

Do you approve of killing a man to save a dog from possible injury or death?

 

[Revoltingest]

You omitted the part where the man intended to kill the dog for food. My bad.

Not for food.
But would killing an animal to eat it lessen the value of its life?
If so, that would mean that human lives have a different value.

 

[Stevicus]

Do you approve of killing a man to save a dog from possible injury or death?

If the question is being reduced down to the bare bones of whether human life is more important than animal life, then on an individual basis, the human life is assumed to be more important by default.

If it was a situation where both a human and dog fell into the river and were in danger of drowning, and you could only save one, the natural answer would be that you'd save the human instead of the dog.

But if we're dealing with a human with a knife behaving in a threatening manner - dog or no dog, he'd be the one I'd worry about.

 

[Revoltingest]

If the question is being reduced down to the bare bones of whether human life is more important than animal life, then on an individual basis, the human life is assumed to be more important by default.

If it was a situation where both a human and dog fell into the river and were in danger of drowning, and you could only save one, the natural answer would be that you'd save the human instead of the dog.

But if we're dealing with a human with a knife behaving in a threatening manner - dog or no dog, he'd be the one I'd worry about.

The last sentence appears to change the premise.
This thread is about threatening a dog.

 

[Stevicus]

The last sentence appears to change the premise.
This thread is about threatening a dog.

How does it change the premise?

There's absolutely no reason for a sane, rational human being to ever have to "threaten a dog" with a knife. If he felt there was a legitimate need to kill the dog, then there are proper, legal channels for that to be done.

No, I think if someone is that unglued and unhinged that they threaten a dog with a knife, then such a person is a danger to himself or others - more than just a dog. If the police had to be called, then it wasn't just a choice of choosing the dog's life over the human's life. Obviously, there were other humans nearby, and the choice of killing him was just as likely to save human life as much as the dog's life.