Please pet people...

... there's a reason it's not, "Love your pet as you love yourself."

SOMERS, Wis. — A Kenosha County woman died today after running back inside her burning apartment to rescue her pet ferrets. The sheriff's department says the 30-year-old woman and others got out of the apartment building safely after fire broke out about 1 a.m.

But, the woman returned to retrieve her pets and was overcome by smoke.

Sheriff's deputies, first to arrive at the scene, were driven back by fire as they tried to rescue the woman. One officer suffered smoke inhalation. The apartment where the fire began was gutted and neighboring units sustained smoke damage.

We really do care about you as a person, and understand your love for all God's creatures, but please take care not to put a pet's life above that of humans.

I had a teacher in high school with a burned face and a stub for an ear who preached much the same: "Never never run back into a burning building to save (in his case) a cat. You're much too valuable to other human beings than to risk yourself like that!"

I think your pet(s) would probably agree...