Nighthawk said:
If you abhor a man killing a puppy for a laugh you don't care about serial killers. That makes sense.
the reason you often get people who can't stand to see animals hurt but don't get too upset over humans being killed is generally the result of their experience with the two species. we accept that within our own species horrible things are going to happen because humans are crazy - but its further upsetting when we see that insanity spread beyond the human realm into the natural world where an animals only crime was crossing paths with a human.
additionally though, the reason some people feel so passionately about animals is because animals will 'love' you unconditionally. an animal will bond with you and stick by your side for the rest of your life.
whereas most humans hurt other humans on a regular basis.
so while killing a human is just as wrong as killing an innocent animal (in fact more wrong), its totally understandable the oversentimental attachment people have to animals.
personally i dont understand people who have a callous 'its just an animal' attitude. i strongly suspect they never grew up with a pet. for those who grew up with a pet, you'll find that during their developmental years the pet was often their closest source of unconditional love. while humans (parents, classmates, teachers, etc.) were all prone to being somewhat cruel, their pet always loved them.
but people who went through their developmental years without a pet around just don't understand why these people exist who love animals so much. the primary reason is that it was animals that got them through their developmental years with a sense of unconditional love.
this is yet another lesson about how powerful unconditional love is, and how humans could learn a thing or two from the loyalty pets show their owners.
so when people see a soldier killing a puppy, that puppy represents a source of unconditional love that many experienced in their developmental years via their pets, and it evokes a tremendous sense of rage.
anyway, my view is that animals are awesome and that anyone who would kill a dog or cat for no reason is mentally disturbed big time.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jcnjGFAQJys
(even just watching animals makes me laugh my *ss off).