The stranger.

assuming the circumstance that, i am told, a random person somewhere in the world will die unless i kill my "beloved pet".

sounds harsh. but let them die. I know, it's not a particulaly nice answer. but the way i see it. Don't know them. never will know them, it won't keep me up at night.

And for those who are getting so worked up over a hypothetical scenario. Grow up. It's not real. Nobody is asking you to kill your dog or cat, or whatever tame beast you may have.

i would save the stranger, and for all those who would save the pet FUCK YOU! your pet will live something like 14-20 years depending on the pet. Let me ask you 1 question: If the stranger have children can you replace the love they had for his mom/dad? (If you kill your pet you can buy another one but you cant buy a new dad/mom for his/her children) Sorry for my bad english im brazilian

What if your pet is a cat?
Cats got 9 lives, they can go with 1 less...

Beloved pet.

Deal with it.

Another one; what if the stranger gives you an offer you can't refuse?

(note that I'm personally for the pet saving, though currently I only got fish and a bird, so hard to imagine, but personal gain ftw)

most of this post is speculation
After I thought about it, if I were to react emotionally, I will possibly be more likely to choose my pet. If I were to react logically, I will likely choose the stranger (although by a small margin)=7

A pet has a strong personal attachment and while pets usually have a much shorter life-span than humans, the lost of a pet will possibly have a stronger effect on you than the loss of a stranger when you have the chance to change the outcome (however the death of a stranger which you could have presented will likely have a really strong effect on you). I won't go as far to say that animals are more important than other human beings but I believe that they should be near there. However I am a hypocrite and eat meat and kill insects that invade my house <_<).

On the other hand, a stranger is a human being. While I can't say for certain and believe that animals may have more cognitive abilities then some people believe, right now the understanding is that humans are unique with their knowledge of the inevitability of death and thus can fear it. The stranger will have more value to the human race if saved (assuming that he turns out to be an average person, neither extremely evil or good, nor extremely smart or stupid.

I'd choose pet without thinking, really.

First I would go eat something, then I will go poo, then i will go sleep. Next day I will see if stranger survived a night with my beloved pet (tiger).

Everyone is so cold hearted. The stranger probally have lots of persons that loves him only you love your pet. You would be sad for a month and its over. The family of the stranger will be miss him for years.

This thread is really opening my eyes into how little empathy and reasoning some of you have.

It's quite alarming.

I would save you all. And then get drunk. :)

a stranger is no more to me then a fly that bugs me on a hot afternoon. an indivudal life's worth, regardless of the species can only be decided by the person making the call.

I'm not religious, so I don't consider humans to be above any species in any sense. my dog is worth more to me then 99.99% of all living and deceased creatures.

Stranger. My cat has nine lives. It can take it.

I'd save the stranger, i really can't see why he/she would be less important than the pet. I don't believe the lives of animals are just as worth as those of humans, if you do believe that that's your choice, but then you must stop eating all meat and using any leather or other animal-derived products, your love for something does not make it more important for anyone else but you.

My pets are trained to work with me, protecting or saving strangers or stranger's belongings...
If they or me have to die to save someone, our training and instinct don't let us judge on that time if it's worthy it... We just act, period.
After they're safe, if they act like criminals... we're also trained to deal with that.

Stranger.

A beloved pet...and I probably wouldn't feel anything for the stranger.

but...what's going to kill them? or..am I going to kill one of them?

This entire thread is pretty entertaining to me, actually. It starts with a false dichotomy framed as a moral quandry, and encourages emotional thinking--which is functionally useless. Moreover, the nature of the question is vague enough that a great number of assumptions must be made before it can be answered. How long do you have to make the choice? What qualities does this 'stranger' have? What is the nature of the danger they're in? Due to these necessary assumptions, you're all effectively answering different questions. Moreover, due to its emotional nature, it's -implied- that by saving one, you've killed the other. This is pretty much the heart of what's wrong with this question, because you aren't killing anybody. That'd be whatever twisted individual, or drunk driver, or irresponsible construction worker, or whatever, is endangering both the pet you know and the human you don't at the same time. But because of the implication of fault, no choice is right. They're both wrong. On the one hand, you're being forced to sacrifice a 'beloved' pet, a creature you've shared your life with and have made a member of your family. On the other, you're forced to sacrifice the nigh-limitless positive or negative potential of a person you've never met, who isn't even described. A pet isn't "just an animal" any more than the stranger is "just a guy" or even "another sacred human being". This isn't a moral choice. Morality doesn't even enter into it. It's an emotional question designed to evoke a powerful, irrational reaction. And y'know what? Screw the stranger. If I'm in a position where I have to -choose- to save someone else, and they can't save themselves? In a way where the alternative is to throw away years of companionship and understanding with a domesticated animal I've come to love? Pff. Stranger should've been looking out for -himself-. And if he couldn't in this instance? Clearly he's just a bit survival-challenged, and saving him would be just a temporary stay of execution.

Its hard enough to get a velociraptor pet and now you make me choose?

(goes away riding said velociraptor)

I'd save the candy bar or else the stranger will take it

Pet. If my dog was in danger I wouldn't even see the stranger.