[Taj44]

This is completely off the track, but when I read about dogs it brings this to mind. My daughter-in-law just spent about $5,000 on hip replacement surgery for her dog. Don't get me wrong, my spouse and I are ardent pet lovers, but it somehow seems a crime to me when I think of the millions of dollars that are spent each year on animals, when there are real people out there who could really use the things money could buy. That $5,000 could have helped a child from a poor family pay for their first year of college, for example. When my cat got elderly, the vet recommened a series of expensive treatments to prolong the animal's life. As much as I loved my cat, he was 17 years old, and in my mind, enough is enough. I'm not going to prolong his life with painful shots, when he's having trouble moving around and barely eats anymore. I had him put to sleep, which in my mind was the more humane action. My husband and I both worked for years, and are quite well off although we're not the types to flaunt it, so its not about the money. It just seems there is a line our society has crossed that places more value on the lives of these animals than other human beings.