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.
Louboutina is my daughter.
As many of you may know, on Christmas day 2017 my apartment in Chelsea burned down and I lost almost everything. Fortunately, I took Louboutina out for a walk a few minutes before the fire started.
After the fire, I was pained by the realization that I almost left Louboutina in the apartment. She was sleeping at the time, and I was just going to run down to the drugstore to buy a couple of things.
The thought of almost leaving Louboutina in the apartment haunted me for months, and why? Because Louboutina or Loubie is my family. Loubie is my everything. I am a single gay man from Peru with no family in United States. Loubie came into my life during a difficult time, and she filled a gap in my life that was missing in United States. She became the daughter I always wanted. She became my family.
Many people consoled me by saying the belongings I lost during the fire were replaceable. Even though I ended up losing a lot of things that were not replaceable and dear memories, I think loosing Loubie would had just killed me. Loubie is my family–she is not just property that I can go to a store and buy again. I think our followers can attest to Loubie and I’s affection for one another from our stories and posts on social media.
I know many of you feel the same way I do about Loubie. Pets become such a huge part of our lives. We are with them all the time: we travel with them, we go shopping with them–they are so immersed in our lives that the idea of losing them is very painful.
In October 2017, our friend Loni Edwards lost her baby Chloe aka Chloe The Mini Frenchie due to medical malpractice. Due to laws around pets, Loni was left with the pain of losing an important family member with no legal recourse.
I remember meeting Loni and Chloe for the first time in February of 2017, the day of The Oscars. Right away, the love between Loni and Chloe was clear. We met a few more times after for photoshoots and interviews. Loni and Chloe were always together, just like Loubie and I.
When we learned Loni lost Chloe in October of 2017, we were devastated, just as everyone who was following Chloe on social media was. What was even more heartbreaking was to learn the cause was veterinarian medical error. Since then, Loni has been trying to create awareness, and now she teamed up with the Animal Legal Defense Fund to start a #petsarefamilynotproperty campaign. These kinds of medical errors should be held accountable in our legal system.
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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