oh goody, a breeder vs non-breeder argument
 

Another proud moron here. I would never give away my cat for anything, nor would I have given my previous pets away.

Umm, I don't think whether or not people have children has ANYTHING to do with this thread. If your first thought when you hear "Would you do X for a million dollars" is "yes so it would give my children security" perhaps it's time to re-evaluate your personal investment portfolio.

A million dollars would mean I'd never have to work, my dad would be cared for no matter what, I could give back to my extended family and friends (hey, I could help out my friend who's a couple thou in debt) and I could do a lot of good by donating to charities. Tough shit. No one gets my pets.

An animal isn't a 25$ investment.

My dogs cost me about $7,000 dollars last year, for food, medicine, vet bills, training classes, and animals don't generally have pet health insurance, so I would have paid more without. Not to mention the sleepless nights that I'm going through now because Tasha (my new foster) was abused in her previous home and howls all night. Or the sleepless nights after Boomer had his GDV surgery, or before we discovered Tips had eaten a sock and we had to wait for it to all pass. As they age, the cost only goes up as vet bills increase and we have to buy specialty items for geriatric dogs.

In return, I get unconditional love, companionship, and something that simply makes me smile. I understand that.

I don't understand the relationship people have with their kids, as generally kids aren't grateful, don't love you unconditionally, and cost the parents both money and their sanity. And everyone around who has to put up with the rugrat.

It's hard to take your fish for a walk.

While my children are not always grateful(!), I must say that my relationships with them have brought me a joy and depth of happiness that no animal can replicate.
I have dearly loved my horses, cat, and dog - even my chickens. But at the end of the day, they are limited by their very nature as to what they can be to me. Relationships with pets do have the advantage of being very simple - but the very complexity of human relationships is one thing that makes them more satisfying in the long run.
JMHO.

I've notice that people who tend to treat their pets as their children generally don't have any children of their own. I know I fall into that rut sometimes, where I feel as if my two dogs are like kids, but my boyfriend's kids really help me put that all in perspective.

And to clarify my earlier statement, I would "give away" my pets for a million dollars, and immediately buy them back. They're both rescues & I wouldn't let them out of my sight. The transactions would go pretty quickly I think. ;)

I could never give up my A.J. Bear -- he truly is my "baby"!:)

uh....yeah, screw him

This is the dumbest hypothetical question I've ever seen.

I guess I understand what you mean, but I don't have any children. I value animals, but never to the extent of human relationships.

Agreed!

So, what you're saying is that you wouldn't give your animals up for a million dollars, but if you had kids, they'd be gone in a heartbeat?

I have two kids, a dog and a cat. Either or both of the animals would be gone without a thought for $1M.

But they're so grateful when you don't!

I would never have kids in the first place. It's awfully hard to get preggers when you've voluntarily sterilized yourself.

I believe that humans are overpopulating the earth, and that there should be liscenses to breed. I've met too many bad parents, and I believe that if I bred, I would be one of them.

But yes, if I did indeed have children, they would probably be sold for a lot less than a million.