The New Jersey Supreme Court handed down a ruling this week that reinforces the difference between humans and animals.

A woman was injured by trying to save a neighbor's dog who was drowning in a canal. It was a very noble and courageous thing to do. Unfortunately, the woman suffered physical damages in her attempt to save the 79-pound boxer. She passed away but the suit carried on. It's very sad.

She attempted to sue the homeowner under the premise that the homeowner should have been responsible for allowing the dog to jump into the canal. The court ruled that while a homeowner might be responsible for property that causes injury to another, that didn’t apply in this case. The woman made the choice to jump into the canal and save the dog. Again, a courageous thing to do.

Human life is different from animal life. More and more people today don’t see or accept the difference between the two. Some people even claim “I like animals better than people because animals don’t have the capacity for rational thoughts." True, but we do.

As much as it would pain many of us to see an animal suffering whether domestic or wild, we must realize that putting ourselves in danger to save that animal is our choice and our responsibility. So, are the consequences of such actions.

There are enough animal and dog-loving people out there who would have empathy for the woman and what she did. So maybe starting a GoFundMe page would have been a more successful route to gain any monetary remuneration for her efforts. The New Jersey Supreme Court in its decision put forward a good lesson for all of us.

Our condolences to her family.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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