Would you sell your pet for $140k?

[cprice12]

At work today we had a discussion about a story in the news...

A family sold their pet for $140k as part of the deal when they sold their house. The buyer was walking through the house and saw the dog. They liked the dog...a lot, and wanted it included with the house (odd request...but whatever). The price of the house was negotiated $140k higher because of the dog. Their son was upset, as it was his dog, (he wasn't there when they sold it) but the parents said, smiling, if presented with $140k sitting in front of him, he'd definitely take the money.
That's the gist of the story.

So, at work today, we discussed whether we would sell our pets for $140k.

It was a no brainer for me...I absolutely would, in a second. No hesitation. Don't get me wrong...I love my dog...I'm a dog guy. But it's $140k. That's a LOT of money. And it's not like someone is asking me to kill it with my bare hands (and even then...ehhh...maybe, I dunno, but anyway...). He might be going to a perfectly nice family and he might be very happy...and I'd be $140k richer. That's a win-win. And that money would pay for a good college for my kids and/or pay off our house, etc.

What shocked me, is that other 5 or 6 people at work in the conversation, said they wouldn't do it...and there was not much hesitation from any of them. I was pretty surprised at that...and one guy has a cat and wouldn't sell it for $140k. A CAT!!
The stance they gave was, "My dog/cat is part of the family. I couldn't sell it." The cat guy said he wouldn't sell his cat for any amount of money. Which is a ridiculous statement. Not for any amount of money? Seriously? He said, nope.

I think if the money was physically in front of them and they could actually have it if they simply gave up their pet, I think they'd change their minds. I dunno.

One of my coworkers then asked if I would sell my daughter for $140k. Which is a ridiculous question and not even in the same ballpark as the pet question. (not to him though) He was saying that pets are like family to him, like my daughter is family to me. I felt stupid for even participating in that part of the conversation. People who think pets are at the same level as kids, just don't understand. They can't possibly understand...but don't tell them that. Pets can be great companions and friends, but they are not at the same level as children. (I feel stupid for having to say that)

So anyway...
Would you sell your pet for $140k?

[glen a richter]

My childhood dog, no. I wouldn't have sold him for all the money in the world. My wife's cat, however .... I'll take $20.

Also, given the right pet, they can easily be considered part of the family. I can say that as a pet owner and a dad, everyone in the family is a member of the family whether human or other. Tell the soldier whose dog laid by his casket after he died, loyally keeping guard, that he was an inferior member of the family.

[ComradeT]

At work today we had a discussion about a story in the news...

A family sold their pet for $140k as part of the deal when they sold their house. The buyer was walking through the house and saw the dog. They liked the dog...a lot, and wanted it included with the house (odd request...but whatever). The price of the house was negotiated $140k higher because of the dog. Their son was upset, as it was his dog, (he wasn't there when they sold it) but the parents said, smiling, if presented with $140k sitting in front of him, he'd definitely take the money.
That's the gist of the story.

So, at work today, we discussed whether we would sell our pets for $140k.

It was a no brainer for me...I absolutely would, in a second. No hesitation. Don't get me wrong...I love my dog...I'm a dog guy. But it's $140k. That's a LOT of money. And it's not like someone is asking me to kill it with my bare hands (and even then...ehhh...maybe, I dunno, but anyway...). He might be going to a perfectly nice family and he might be very happy...and I'd be $140k richer. That's a win-win. And that money would pay for a good college for my kids and/or pay off our house, etc.

What shocked me, is that other 5 or 6 people at work in the conversation, said they wouldn't do it...and there was not much hesitation from any of them. I was pretty surprised at that...and one guy has a cat and wouldn't sell it for $140k. A CAT!!
The stance they gave was, "My dog/cat is part of the family. I couldn't sell it." The cat guy said he wouldn't sell his cat for any amount of money. Which is a ridiculous statement. Not for any amount of money? Seriously? He said, nope.

I think if the money was physically in front of them and they could actually have it if they simply gave up their pet, I think they'd change their minds. I dunno.

One of my coworkers then asked if I would sell my daughter for $140k. Which is a ridiculous question and not even in the same ballpark as the pet question. (not to him though) He was saying that pets are like family to him, like my daughter is family to me. I felt stupid for even participating in that part of the conversation. People who think pets are at the same level as kids, just don't understand. They can't possibly understand...but don't tell them that. Pets can be great companions and friends, but they are not at the same level as children. (I feel stupid for having to say that)

So anyway...
Would you sell your pet for $140k?

No brainer for me. Where do I sign?

[dmiles2186]

I would, no doubt. I guess my only hesitation would be if I knew my son would be heartbroken. But, I could sell the pet and buy him a similar one and still have a giant chunk of money left over.

[cardsfan04]

I don't think I would. 140K is a lot of money. I'm already spending it in my head. No more student loans. Money to buy a new car in cash in a few years when I need it. A really big down payment on a house. Not life-changing money, but definitely life-simplifying.

That said, I just don't think I could pull the trigger on it. I don't have kids, but comparing it to selling a kid seems ridiculous. But, I don't think that's the threshold either. Selling a kid is obviously not just barely a 'no.' There's plenty of room for this to still be a 'no' and not on the same level as selling a kid. I don't think of myself as one of those pet owners that humanizes their pets, but maybe I am. I do consider my dog family and I just can't imagine voluntarily giving him up. Maybe there's an amount of money that I would do it for, but I would rather never be in that situation. Money isn't everything. While 140K would go a really long way, I think it would come with a tremendous load of guilt as well.

[glen a richter]

After my sister got married, we went up to her house for Thanksgiving, and not being able to find boarding at our usual vet, put up my dog at a different facility. My dog was on heart medicine for an irregular heartbeat and had to take it twice a day. We board him, go upstate for the holiday and the whole time away I was just not myself. I couldn't really explain it except I wasn't happy the entire three days we were gone. When we got back and went to pick him up, we were told that there were massive mistakes made and eight dogs had been given the wrong medicines and all died. I was devastated. And even without having clue one about what had happened until we went to the vet to pick him up, I still subconsiously knew something wasn't quite right. We were told that we couldn't sue them for malpractice because pets are considered property. If anyone has such an emotional connection to physical property like a house or a car that they can know something is wrong, they're a very unusual person to say the least. You feel that kind of connection for family members, human or otherwise, not for "property".

[ViPeRx007]

This is a really good question, actually. I assume you're mostly talking dogs/cats. I have a Salamander. I'd probably take $140k for Chuck, even though he's pretty awesome...

I can't speak for cats, I'm allergic to them anyway, but I tend to agree with the gentleman that said they (dogs) are a part of the family. Anyone who's lost a really good dog, and you're a decent human being, knows how much it sucks. I've lost human relatives where it wasn't as sad...that probably sounds horrible, but it's true. It's probably because a dog is almost always around and likes you no matter what. The same isn't always true with relatives. lol. $140k though....man. The rational person in me says I'd do it without flinching. Most likely you could get another dog that would be just as great plus have most of that money leftover. However, the sentimental (yea, make fun of me, I don't care) part of me says, "yea, but it's not THE SAME dog..." and doesn't think it would be that easy.

[sseagle]

You can have both dogs, that will be 280k plz, they don't live long enough to really worry about it

[not_a_wings_fan]

I'd drop any pet for that kind of cash.

There's nothing to think about. It's a done deal. Easy.

I've got four kids at this point, and while I love my pets, they ain't my kids. Pets are part of the family, but not in the same category as people parts of the family.

[cprice12]

I think people with kids tend to answer this question differently. I think they understand the relationship hierarchy better as it puts things in a perspective that people without kids simply don't have.

$140,000 would put my kids through college or would just about pay off our house.
Choosing not to sell my pet would simply be irresponsible on my part, and would essentially be choosing to keep a pet over the secured education of my children.

I think if you were to ask that same person if his dog were kidnapped and a ransom of $140,000 was demanded...and assuming they had that much money in the bank, would they pay it?
I'm guessing they wouldn't. Even though it's essentially the same question...because if you are offered $140k, the money is then yours, but you are choosing to give it up to keep your pet.

The "would you..." question for a set amount of money is sometimes interesting.
A friend of mine in college once asked me if I would eat a shit sandwich for a million dollars.
I told him I would eat the shit sandwich and wash it down with a cup of piss for a million dollars. No hesitation.
He said he wouldn't.
And that would make him a buffoon. It's a million (Franking) dollars.

[glen a richter]

I think people with kids tend to answer this question differently. I think they understand the relationship hierarchy better as it puts things in a perspective that people without kids simply don't have.

$140,000 would put my kids through college or would just about pay off our house.
Choosing not to sell my pet would simply be irresponsible on my part, and would essentially be choosing to keep a pet over the secured education of my children.

I think if you were to ask that same person if his dog were kidnapped and a ransom of $140,000 was demanded...and assuming they had that much money in the bank, would they pay it?
I'm guessing they wouldn't. Even though it's essentially the same question...because if you are offered $140k, the money is then yours, but you are choosing to give it up to keep your pet.

The "would you..." question for a set amount of money is sometimes interesting.
A friend of mine in college once asked me if I would eat a shit sandwich for a million dollars.
I told him I would eat the shit sandwich and wash it down with a cup of piss for a million dollars. No hesitation.
He said he wouldn't.
And that would make him a buffoon. It's a million (Frank) dollars.

With the assurance you'd never get caught, would you kill your best friend for a million dollars? I can 100% guarantee the answer to that question would be a resounding no from everyone. Money is important but there are plenty of other ways to earn it besides doing crazy things like eating shit sandwiches.

[cardsfan04]

I think people with kids tend to answer this question differently. I think they understand the relationship hierarchy better as it puts things in a perspective that people without kids simply don't have.

$140,000 would put my kids through college or would just about pay off our house.
Choosing not to sell my pet would simply be irresponsible on my part, and would essentially be choosing to keep a pet over the secured education of my children.

I think if you were to ask that same person if his dog were kidnapped and a ransom of $140,000 was demanded...and assuming they had that much money in the bank, would they pay it?
I'm guessing they wouldn't. Even though it's essentially the same question...because if you are offered $140k, the money is then yours, but you are choosing to give it up to keep your pet.

The "would you..." question for a set amount of money is sometimes interesting.
A friend of mine in college once asked me if I would eat a shit sandwich for a million dollars.
I told him I would eat the shit sandwich and wash it down with a cup of piss for a million dollars. No hesitation.
He said he wouldn't.
And that would make him a buffoon. It's a million (Frank) dollars.

I'm sure perspective changes when you have kids. As I don't have kids, I would be blindly guessing as to how much and in what ways. But, I still have a hard time believing I would sell my dog ever.

[abc789987]

Man, 140k is a lot of money... But I dunno, I don't think I could do it. I'd feel terrible about it. I mean maybe if I knew exactly what type of family he was going to I'd be able to do it... But not sure I'd feel comfortable sending my dog to a family who has 140k to just toss around on other peoples pets... That's kinda messed up.

I came back home to Fairview Height this July and my dog ran off from my parents house. He was lost for 12 days. Those 12 days sucked. I didn't know what type of attachment I had to him until we had to drive back to home without him in the backseat. I can't imagine doing that on purpose :/

[sseagle]

I'd kill my friends for 140k, I'd sell your kids for 140k, I'd sell my kids for 140k.

Then I'd go to the east side, get some coke and nasty whores and PARTAY

[Portland Blues]

I love animals, but yes I would. I'd pay off all debt and then buy something cool like a monkey.

[Kreegz2]

Absolutely not, loyalty is supposed to go both ways. I don't begrudge anyone who would though.

[cprice12]

I think people with kids tend to answer this question differently. I think they understand the relationship hierarchy better as it puts things in a perspective that people without kids simply don't have.

$140,000 would put my kids through college or would just about pay off our house.
Choosing not to sell my pet would simply be irresponsible on my part, and would essentially be choosing to keep a pet over the secured education of my children.

I think if you were to ask that same person if his dog were kidnapped and a ransom of $140,000 was demanded...and assuming they had that much money in the bank, would they pay it?
I'm guessing they wouldn't. Even though it's essentially the same question...because if you are offered $140k, the money is then yours, but you are choosing to give it up to keep your pet.

The "would you..." question for a set amount of money is sometimes interesting.
A friend of mine in college once asked me if I would eat a shit sandwich for a million dollars.
I told him I would eat the shit sandwich and wash it down with a cup of piss for a million dollars. No hesitation.
He said he wouldn't.
And that would make him a buffoon. It's a million (Frank) dollars.

With the assurance you'd never get caught, would you kill your best friend for a million dollars? I can 100% guarantee the answer to that question would be a resounding no from everyone. Money is important but there are plenty of other ways to earn it besides doing crazy things like eating shit sandwiches.

Killing a human being, your best friend no less, is on a completely different level. And no, I wouldn't kill anyone for a million dollars...aside from a terrorist, a serial murderer, etc. Then that's a different story...but I imagine it would still be hard to do. Doing something like that can screw you up in the head, even if the bastard deserved to die. Might not be worth the million.

The point about eating a shit sandwich for a million dollars... if I didn't do it, I don't think I could live with myself knowing I could have had a million f'ing dollars if I had just eaten the sandwich. Not doing it would be a tough thing to be reminded of when it comes time to pay the bills every month...or God forbid if I ever have financial trouble in the future.
A million dollars pays off every single debt I have (which isn't a lot, but still), and then the rest goes in the bank making at least 15k a year just on interest. That's a pretty sweet and early retirement after a number of years.
All for eating a sandwich? Yes please.

This thread.

[Kerfuffle]

I voted yes. I have 2 labs that I love but I also interpreted the question to mean that me selling either one of them would mean they still live and go to a new home. So based on that I say yes. If the question included 'they would be given back to a shelter to be put down' then the answer would be a hard no.

[glen a richter]

Unrelated, but sickening... http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/18/living/do ... ?hpt=hp_t2

What a disgusting request to put in your will. I get the legal nature of wills and the fact that pets are considered property, but this is still messed up.

[cardsfan04]

Yeah, saw that on Facebook. I don't get it. That's just so messed up, and I don't understand how there's nothing anybody can do. How is it legal to order the killing of your dog when you die?