If you were forced to choose between your spouse and your pet, which would you choose? And how difficult would it be to make the choice?

84% of the respondents to this survey (conducted by AP-Petside.com) said they'd keep their spouse. 14% said they'd keep their pet.

Not surprisingly, unmarried people were more likely to say they'd choose their pet.

And women were twice as likely to describe the choice as "tough" than men.

It reminds me of the question little children often ask their parents, Who do you love more, me or my brother?

You reply that you love them both the same. But differently too, because they're different people. Not more or less. Just different.

I remember being appalled when -- after my son had suffered massive head injuries in a car crash -- people "comforted" me with the comment that I was still young enough to have another child. As if a child could be simply replaced, like a worn-out appliance! Several years later when my husband died, the same people assured me that I could easily "find another man."

So I guess I found this particular poll a little bit disturbing.

Love is special, inclusive and limitless. The loss of a loved one is horrible, and it's no less horrible when that loved one is a beloved pet.

Who would I keep, my pet or my spouse? What a silly question!