This is a very sensitive issue but I guess with musing, topics like this are healthy.
One thing I'd like to remind is even if it's a pet, or another living thing - it is still life. It's all about how thinking a lot of circumstances and the type of people who would you like to react.
The fact is, people have different judgment and everyone has their opinion. For me, it depends on the situation and of course your personal preference. While most of the time we should follow the society's moral and standard, everyone would expect human beings should be treated with utmost care.
But to ourselves and the people who understand our burden, valuing our pet's life is more of a "feeling" rather than importance.