Is it Wrong for People to Spend Their Money on Their Pets?

The scenerio is that a person, maybe childless, or with adult children, has a dog.  They are planning on throwing a birthday party for the dog. They invite friends, and other dog owners from the area.  They buy gifts for their dog, and even a cake!  Money being thrown away on a dog.

Meanwhile people starve in other parts of the world.   Diseases beg for treatment, or funding for cures.  While one family throws money away on a dog, other humans suffer.  So who is right, the family with the puppy party, or everyone else who thinks that the dogs' owners are idiots for spending money so foolishly?

I do not own a dog at this time, I have several other pets and we do not celebrate their birthdays, however if I were to pick sides in this case, I would support the dog owners right to spend whatever they want on their beloved pet. 

Here is why:

1.  It is their money.

2.  What is the difference if they spend their money on a dog, or anything else, perhaps a dinner out or expensive car?  You seldom hear the comment that a person should drive a lesser car, and donate to charity instead.

3.  Why should they be told what charity to support, simply because they have a pet?

4.  Are humans more worth money than any other living thing?  A bit of a moral puzzle here, is that humans have the ability to control their population more than cats and dogs, so if there are too many humans,and not enough resources, or money, isn't it our own fault?  If a woman keeps having children that she cannot afford to feed, why should somebody else have to bail her, and her kids, out?

5.  I always wonder just how much money the accuser donates to charity, when they dare to call out somebody spending money on a dog.

So I propose that a person has the right to spend their money on whatever they see fit.  If a person wants to support a foster child in another country, great, if they want to spend their money on their dog, fine, if they want to spend their money on over priced coffee, well it's their choice.

If a person has a pet it is up to them to care for it, if they feel better about themself if they throw it a birthday party, who does it really hurt anyhow?