Should Service Dogs be Allowed to be Buried in Military Cemeteries?

[Demo_Chris]

17. No. Not because I don't love dogs

At some point you have to draw the line. Wherever that line is, someone will come up with perfectly reasonable sounding exceptions, but a line is probably necessary. Why not dogs?

First: A military cemetary is not for the fallen soldier, it is for that soldier's family and friends. It is to show them that we honor the sacrifice of their family member. Or, cynically, to show potential new recruits how awesome it is to die for one's country. In any case, John the fallen soldier does not care whether Fido is burried next to him. John's dead, Fido as well, and it's a safe bet none of Fido's family and friends will know of or appreciate the gesture.

Second: Dogs are not people. They are my best friends and always have been, but they are not people. When we bury a dog in a military cememtary we are elevating and honoring a dead animal while simultaniously sending a message that we view the people buried there as being no better than that animal. Those people, being dead, don't care, but their family and friends certainly might. Seriously, you want to bury some little girl's daddy next to a dog?

Finally, why stop there? The military has horses and cavalry. We are using horses in Afghanistan today. Do we need to haul them home and bury them as well? B-But Cavalry trooper John loved that horse! It served honorably and carried him through many battles. It was a hero. Yeah.

So there you go. Military cemetaries are for people. Not hampsters, horses, carrier pidgeons, or dogs. And no it doesn't suck. What sucks is that we need these places at all.