Did you know that under the law pets are seen as replaceable property? That’s right, the law essentially treats losing a pet the same way as losing a table. In honor of Chloe the Mini Frenchie, Loni Edwards’ beloved dog who passed away due to medical error, PetInsider will be featuring a story every Wednesday about pets being family, not property. Please join us by reading the stories and signing the pledge we created with the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) to push for change.
My name is Max, and my wife Jocelyn and I are the pawrents of Leonardo & Annabelle. I want to share our story with you.
We take our dogs everywhere they’re allowed with us. Our friends think we’re crazy, but we seriously plan our entire social life on whether or not our dogs can attend. To us, they are our children. We care for them, feed them, and occasionally clothe them.
Part of what drew us to corgis originally is how human-like their personalities are. They are absolute clowns, the silliest breed we’ve ever seen. Leonardo has the kindest soul of anyone we’ve ever met, he is so gentle and polite, a true gentleman. He is also fiercely loyal, our protector, but truthfully he would never hurt a fly. Annabelle has enough sass to rival the Kardashian’s. She is Miss Independent and always thinks she knows best, but at the same time is the most snuggly fluff ball, she just melts like putty in your arms. They have both taught us so much about what it means to care for another life and how to love unconditionally, which we can even apply to our marriage.
So how can an animal like that be seen as property in the eyes of the law? Property is inanimate. Property does not feel. Have you ever looked into your pets eyes and you just feel that emotional connection? I’m sure you have. Now have you ever experienced the loss of your pet? It is truly devastating, something that Loni Edwards recently had to endure. She lost her dear Chloe the Mini Frenchie due to a medical error while she was receiving care. Due to the lack of legal protections for our pets, her unfortunate death was boiled down to the question, what is the cost to replace her?
Just like that, she was reduced a thing, a belonging, something that does not feel. As pet owners, we have no recourse to hold someone accountable, and that isn’t right. That is why we are signing the ALDF pledge.
Please join us in pushing for much needed change by signing and sharing the pledge (https://aldf.org/animalsnotproperty). Follow along every Wednesday for a new story, and sign up for our newsletter to receive it in your inbox.
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