I looking at my last post I would like to emphasise that I'm really not trying to be a jerk. I just want people with kids or eldery family members or others who truely depend on them for their safety and survival to think about the possibility of having to make that choice. Again, I'm not trying to be a jerk and I do love my dog (just not as much as my son). In my specific situation my dog also has a much better chance of surviving without my help than my son ever would, although that isn't really the point here.

The point is that I would just hate for someone to devise an unrealistic plan with no contingency plan and then realize that they have to make that difficult decision after the SHTF or while it is hitting the fan. Best to deal with the harsh possibilities ahead of time IMHO so that you can react quickly, concisely and accurately when placed in an emergency situation. This applies to lots of tough decisions and moral judgement calls that may need to be made in a survival situation especially large scale natural or man-made disaster situations. The possibility of abandoning a pet is really just one example.