Do the people who complain about compassion for "fluffy pooches" know that a substantial percentage of funds donated to deal with the horrific aftermath of this dreadful tragedy will go directly towards sending out highly skilled search and rescue dogs, those "fluffy pooches" who save countless lives, human and otherwise? Do they also realise that numerous animals are awarded military honours for feats of astonishing bravery and endurance during wartime? Apparently not.
It really pisses me off that some people have this ludicrous view that the only life form that matters is the human one. What utter and absolute arrogance. All animals, human and otherwise, are sentient beings with the capacity to feel pain, fear, stress, terror, and they ALL, therefore, matter, and they all require aid during times of war, disaster and great trauma.
Frankly, what worries is me is the fact that there are people who can only feel compassion or empathy for a species they can directly relate to, in other words, they either lack the ability or imagination to feel pity for anything other than themselves, or something like themselves. Well, I've got news for you; we all die, and we are all forgotten, (with the exceptions of those who achieve notable greatness or evil notoriety) whether we're that amazing species, the human animal, or whether we are fluffy pooches.
I have donated because I want to do all that I can to assist the Japanese nation, in all its variations, to continue in the hugely impressive and dignified way it is dealing with this massive disaster. Sadly, no amount of money will stop the inevitable nuclear catastrophe ahead, and Japan will, more than likely, suffer for generations in the same way those in and around Chernobyl have.