This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
To Ashley Simmons ("I would save my dogs over your children," July 1), dogs seem to be more important than people, especially children. I know of Ms. Simmons only from her letter to the Trib. She may contribute to our society in ways I know nothing about. Maybe her dogs are rescue dogs. Perhaps she is a veteran, or a veterinarian. I don't want to judge.
Some day, an earthquake will strike the Wasatch Front. In spite of our best laid plans, there will be tragedy and death. In an emergency of any scale, priorities must be established. In an earthquake, they would have to be based on the odds of survival, the estimated number of occupants for each structure, and so on.
Children, of course, must be given priority above all. No sane society could have it otherwise. Children are our collective future. Despite Ms. Simmons' and others' feelings for their animals, pets are only our individual present.
We must never lose sight of our "enlightened self interest" in this regard. As families and as a society, the welfare of children is most important to us all. Still, it takes a village to make it safe for both kids and pets. Can't this village figure a way to do both?
David Scown
Murray