2+ Dog Owners -- Honest Reply Please

Oh it doesn't take a fire...I can just tell you Ellie is my favorite. [] No shame either...it's just a fact.
 
Now if there was a fire I really can't say how I'd grab one and not the others because they are ALWAYS right together...lol! It'd be more like, grab them all or grab none, ya know? This being after my DH and my children were safe because both those trump any dog or cat in my home.
 
No shame in THAT either. []

I've never had a house fire but I've had perceived emergencies. At least 3 times, in six years, we've had a tornado warning in our town. This means that a circulation has been spotted on radar and is highly indicative of a developing tornado. In either case, I had between 2 and 10 minutes to either bend over and kiss my butt goodbye or get the hell out of the way. The first time, it was just Misty and me in the house. I grabbed a blanket and her and balled us up in the central hallway. It was an actual tornado spout that didn't touch down, here. Another time, a year or so later, I had better warning. I didn't even bother with the carrier. I grabbed her and got in my truck and was on adrenaline overdrive. I hit the light switch so hard that I knocked back into the dash, without realizing it. We outran and dodged that one. Misty was pts 2-17-05. Last one was March of this year. This one was a dead-on bull's eye. I was in my bathrobe and DW in her pj's. In two minutes, I was legally dressed and out the door with Shadow on leash. In the back he goes while DW wondered which lights to leave on and I controlled my apprehension and said, "I don't think it matters much."

We drove south about 15 miles. I stopped at a truck stop and watched the t.v. in the lounge. Whatever it was almost overhead when we were leaving and was already gone, no touch down. The best place to be during a tornado is somewhere besides the damage path. Otherwise, underground in something concrete is the only other survivable option. Anything else is high risk.

We got Jade in June, as a stray. Sometimes, if you are following the storm track on the news, the best thing to do is stay home, which weighs several tons. But in a fire, you can't stay in the home. In the event of a fire in which both doors are blocked and impassible, I would break out a window, get DW out, hand her the cat, pick up and toss Shadow out. He might run off but I might be able to find him but his chances out there are better than in the fire, Hobson's Choice. I'm the last one out. That's the worst case scenario. Give a few moments, I will leash Shadow while DW is stuffing Jade into the carrier on the way out. I would hook the leash on Shadow's flat buckle collar (id's) and carry the harness with me. Once we are safe, I will get him into harness, as he is able to pull out of that collar if he really wants to. Given more time, I will get Shadow into the backyard while I deal with the cat and carrier, especially if DW isn't home at the time.

Long story short, I don't leave without the pets, even if it means my life. Certainly, that could prove to be my fatality, but I will have died with honor, IMHO.
 
ETA:
I had Shadow before we had Jade and he is my favorite, if pressed for a hard answer, and Jade is DW's cat, not just because she was the one who initially wanted her but the cat bonds more readily to her. I care for both pets equally and I'm glad we have Jade and that she and Shadow get along. But, as others have noted, the logistics of the situation do not mean that he goes out first if that's not going to work. And, I have three ways to get out of the house before I have to break a window. The front door, the sliding glass rear door, and out through the garage.
 

I don't have an favorite between the dogs. I love Shaq and Marley equally, and I cannot imagine saving one without the other. I do know that the dogs would be first, and I would have to go back for the cats. The dogs sleep in our bedroom, and they LOVE to go for a ride. They would be easy. Wake-up, say "lets go", grab keys/purse and box with birth cert/ passport/marriage cert and they would be at the door before me, ready to load up in the car.
 
As much as I love our cats (especially Fatty and her sister Sudah) we have 4, and they would be harder to put in carriers. Fatty and Sudah would probably go in their carriers, and I would just grab Bishop and Bagee, and dump them outside for a few minutes until I could get everyone organized and rounded up.
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I was in a situation two years ago when we lived in our old house. It was a really neat house, but it was tall yet tiny and over 100 years old. It was spring, and suddenly I heard this really strange wind. I ran upstairs and looked out of the bedroom window that was facing west, and I could see these dark clouds rushing at us, and all these things blowing through the air. We don't get local news, and the town we lived in at that time only had 50 people so there was not a warning siren or anything. I realized that there was going to be a tornado headed our way, and tried to get the dogs to follow me into the basement.
 
The basement of that house was more like a cellar. It had a dirt floor, water in some places, and terrible steps, that were no more then boards unevenly spaced, and open in between, leading down to the basement. The dogs would not follow me down. Shaq put his paws on the top step, but refused to go any further. Marley would not even approach the open door. I was frantic. The storm was getting worse and the entire house was shaking.
 
I finally gave up, and took the dogs into the bathroom with me. I decided that I was not going to leave my dogs, and if we died, we were all going together. I had looked out the window on the way to the bathroom, and could see not one, but 2 funnel clouds. At one point I had dashed upstairs again to try and grab the cats. I managed to catch Fatty, and I tried to put her in the closet under the steps, because I thought that would be the next safest place. She struggled, and scratched me, so I just let her go.
 
The entire thing probably lasted less then 10 or 15 minutes, but it was really bad. That house was so old and rickety, and as I huddled with the dogs on the bathroom floor, I kept thinking that we were going to get hit any second. Somehow the tornado missed us, and we survived in one piece. Afterwards I knew just how much I loved my dogs, and I know that if I have to make a choice between the dogs or the cats, I'm picking the dogs.

I have a definite favorite. The dogs know it, and most times, the people who see us together can tell. I wouldn't save her first, though. That'd be silly. They're small enough that I can carry both, even struggling. 

I don't really have a favorite, I love them all in different ways.  I'd have to try and save them all.  Izzy, Brandy and I are normally in the same room so I'd grab them.  Then I'd hoove it to the door while screaming "Zues!  Should I feed the puppies?  Puppy want a snack?"  (works like a charm)  
 
Hawk is an outside dog, so I'd only have to save him if he was sleeping on the deck or if the garage was also on fire.

ORIGINAL: snownose

I would grab the bunny out of his cage, and then run screaming as loud as I could about the "Yum-Yum "I have, that would pretty much take care of the situation, dogs would be on my heels.[]

That certainly is a plan!

I was more wondering about whether you have a favorite or not than disaster part. Like Gina said, I don't think there's any shame in having a favorite either!

I don't have a favorite, each dog is so special in their own way and I have an entirely different relationship with each of them. But in the case of an emergency I would get Shy first, because I am the ONLY one that could get her.

I have pretty different relationships with my two. Conrad has been with us for almost 5 years and I love him to pieces. We've been through a lot together. Marlowe just came to live with us in April and I have to say that we've bonded in a very different way than Conrad and I have. It's sort of worked out that Conrad is more DH's dog and Marlowe is more mine. I think when we got Conrad, it was DH's idea, though we both picked him out together. But we'd just lost our previous dog and I wasn't really ready for a new one yet, but DH really wanted to fill that dog-shaped hole. So I went along.
 
Marlowe was more my idea. I was the one who began lobbying for a second dog, and I was the one who spotted Marlowe at the shelter and brought him home to meet DH in an effort to seal the deal. Marlowe and I spotted each other across a crowded room and it was love. And DH went along with that.
 
But as far as saving one over another, I'd go for the practical angle in that in a stressful situation, Conrad would need me to escort him out rather than a strange person in heavy protective gear. Marlowe would go with anyone, no matter how funny they looked. I'd be afraid of Conrad fear-biting in that situation.

I too have different relationships with my dogs but my affection and love is the same.  One dog has dependencies of me and I have dependencies on the other dog.  When faced with a real life dangerous situations (not a fire) in a split second decision I chose the dog that would least survive.  Fortunately both survived.

Stanleymom says:  I was more wondering about whether you have a favorite or not than disaster part. Like Gina said, I don't think there's any shame in having a favorite either!

 
I stand pat in my respond to one of my dogs being favorites.  I won't forsake because of a preference, I will forsake for survival reasons.

As far as my favorite, I will say Cassidy is my favorite, and that's ok, because she's really my 'only' dog. Mirelle is going to have to go back to the Service dog place for training. Of course that doesn't mean I don't love her, because I do! If we have a fire while she's still with me, then I don't really think this would be a problem, all I would have to do is yell for the dogs and run out the door, and they would both come running, or even if they heard the door opening they would come out. If I have a new puppy and there's a fire, I would get the puppy first, because it would be pretty much helpless. Of course I would get Cassidy out, but I'm sure I could call her out and she would come. If Mirelle was in her crate, I'd run in there and unlock it, and get her out too. But I do wonder about my poor bird, and goldfish. Unfortunatley I don't think there would be anything I could do about the fish, but I'd hate to leave my cockateil in it's cage during a fire! I couldn't get the cage out because it's too big for me to carry by myself, and maybe somewhat of a hassle too. Maybe I would just open the cage door, but even if the bird got out and flew away I don't think it would come back. Poor bird []

Interesting thread though! Snownose, you cracked me up! [sm=rotfl.gif]

I would be rather focused on getting my hare out, because he's a hard animal to handle and I've thought many times about what on earth I would do to get him out in an emergency considering there have been times when it's taken me hours to catch him and he'd be a lost cause if I messed up and accidentally let him escape. I like to have his cage near a ground floor door so I can haul the whole thing out if the need arises. Penny would take care of herself. She's good like that. She wouldn't go far from me. The other rabbit would be easy, too. But it makes me think I should keep carry cages handy for whatever panicked animal I might come across in an emergency. 

I confess, I also have a very special spot in my heart for the hare. These things happen when you hand raise an animal from a very young age! I've never loved an animal like I love that hare. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to him because of me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to Penny because of me, either, but she can mostly look after herself.

yeah, I definitely have a favorite. But I'm pretty sure I could save them all in any kind of disaster.

I know which dog I would grab first..but it is not cause he is my favorite..it's because he is fearful of strangers. He would likely bite anyone trying to rescue him. If he were to get out during the confusion..I would be afraid of what he would do or what would happen to him. Witt would be rushed out first and put in my truck. Dooley would go with anyone..I think. Annie would be protective and I would grab her next. I have a husband and two teenagers so I would hope we could all grab a dog and get out safely together.
I honestly can't say I have a favorite..I love each of the dogs for their unique qualities. Witt is definately my heart and soul dog, Dooley is my bud and flyball partner, Annie is a complete love and spaz..something I love about her. Darby is a Poodle..and I'm not a little dog person really..but he is the best snuggling dog ever and I've had him for 14 years. The day I wake up without him there..will be a very sad day.