What would be your first Question......

If you where just informed that a friend's home, where she, her husband, their cats and dogs lived was severely damaged? From lets say a fire or something of that nature.

What's the first question that you ask? Your first concern is..no thinking it out split second responces, just you first responce off the top of your head.
How are the pet?
How are they doing?
Hows their house?
How's the weather?



Just a study of people, my neice is doing for school because of some recent events. This same question has been asked on 2 other non-pet forum.

Please if you can, take the time to vote. I would really like to be able to give her seveal responces for her report.

I voted for How are they doing? That would be my first question assuming you mean the people that lived in the household because you can't replace them, I mean who cares about the weather at the time and the house can always be replaced. My second question would be how are the pets? considering you can't replace them either!:)

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Originally posted by Katiesmom
I voted for How are they doing? That would be my first question assuming you mean the people that lived in the household because you can't replace them, I mean who cares about the weather at the time and the house can always be replaced. My second question would be how are the pets? considering you can't replace them either!:)

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Ditto- I would first ask how they are, then how are the pets would be my second question.

First question is how are they doing and then the pets. I agree, stuff can be replaced, people and pets cant be!

I looked at the question a different way. I voted I would ask about the pets first because I assumed the people were still alive. I imagine if they had died, the person informing me of the situation would have told me. My next question would be how they are doing though.

First I'd ask how they are and then I'd ask about the pets.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Katiesmom
I mean who cares about the weather

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The weather was more put in there as a haha thing. But needed to be there just in case that's how some people think. You never know now days.



Remember she wanted off the top of your head answers, no thinking it out just split second first responces. Pets? People? House? or weather?

I think I'd also ask how they were doing as a first instinct..

well if if were my best friends place, I would probibly ask is shadow was OK, and immedietly afterword ask if they were all OK, just because I have known shadow for 8 years and only known the family for 5 years lol

I'm not sure how to answer that, if I just received a phone call and one of them was telling me this, I think my first reaction would be "OMG how is everyone?" And that would include the whole family with pets, but I suppose the second response would be the most accurate.

Generally when people call someone and give them news about what happened, they leave out the pets.


So, i'd probably ask "How's <insert dog, cat, bird, snake's etc name here>?"

I would probably ask how they were doing first, and then ask about the pets.

I voted for "how they are doing" but really the first thing I
would ask a friend is "is there anything I can do to help ".
I know all my close friends would do the same in a situation
like that.:)

I immediately thought "how are you doing"........hopefully the majority will think the same way!

I would say "How are they doing" ...but meaning like, how is EVERYONE doing, though they probably wouldn't see it like that.

I would want to ask about the pets first. But I'd bite my tongue and ask how they were doing first.

I would ask how they were first, then the pets.

:o :o :o

When I read the poll, I interpreted it as 1) how are the pets, 2) how are the pets doing, 3) how is the house, and 4) hows the weather... And as 1 seemed more informative than 2, I voted 1. Sorry, should have read the question more carefully. (But it does show a Pet Talk bias, I think. :p ;) )

Thanks for your responses everyone. I think she going to be happy with the info.

If anyone is interested in how this all has worked out between "studies" here's how it's gone so far.

The other forums, People and house where the top two answers with pets coming in third.

Here of course it was people and pets....no one asking about the house.

Now she also did a real live situation, with hurricane victim's here and with friends of victim's.
This is where it changes, a lot. Most people she talked to said, the first question was "how's the house?, Second most asked question was about the Pet. People came in thrid! :confused:

When she asked them later why they didn't ask about the people first, she told me most said that they figured if the people involved where killed or hurt they would have been told that right off. So sense they where not killed, hurt, they must be OK. As if the only way to not be OK after being effected by such a event is to 1: be dead 2: be hurt. Never considering the emotional effect as not being OK.

I am very proud of her for doing this project and her reasons for started this. It came out of her own anger/disappointment of how people responed to her familys suffering after this last hurricane. How she decided to handle her disappointment in people was to turn it into a learning experience. She was very upset that no one ask if her aunt was OK, or her family, they only seem concerned about the pets and home. She said very few asked "How are you?" or "How are they doing?"

But when asking people what they belived they ask about, the people was first, on the list. everything else second. But, from her experience, her father's and even from my experience, in real life we where last on the list of concerns.

What she got out of it was people want to belive and honestly think that people would be their first concern, but when it comes down to real life time, their first thoughts are of home and animals. Kind of like a car wreck, first question is "how's the car?" "Was it totaled?" then "hows the driver?"

I just thought this was interesting and thought I'd share her findings. She better get a A on this one. :D

I voted how are they doing, as in how are they ALL doing, meaning the people and the animals.

Voted "How are they..." meaning everyone living in the home, pets included:)