Pets are Family, Not Property: Mr. Henry

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. 

Our Sweet Mr. Henry,

When my fiancé brought Mr. Henry home over 2 years ago we instantly fell in love with him, giving our lives a whole new meaning and outlook. Our sweet little guy taught us about love, joy, selflessness and how to live in the moment and be present. Friends and family always share that Henry was so lucky to have us as fur parents, but to be honest we were the lucky ones to have him. He brought us so much happiness in everything that he did by greeting us at the door from a long days work, snuggling close to us at night to keep us warm or barking at us in annoyance to play with him…(Oh what we wouldn’t give to hear his beautiful bark again).

Henry was taken from us tragically on 6/22/19. He went in for a routine procedure and due to the horrific mistake and inept handling of the veterinarian and vet tech at Mountain View Animal Emergency in Hagerstown, MD we will never see our baby again. We are now left with such grief and heartache from the vet’s errors, and we wanted to do something to bring justice for Henry. We contacted a lawyer and they informed us that we did not have a case even though Henry’s death was due to negligence because pets are considered property, and one does not grieve over property only humans/family. We are saddened and angered to hear this news, as Henry is not a piece of property he is our baby boy, who on a daily basis we love, feed, exercise, play with, bathe, sleep with and take for routine health visits…does not sound like a table or piece of property to me!

Although we can not bring our sweet Mr. Henry back we want to do everything we can to ensure justice is served for Henry and the other families that get their furry loved ones taken from them. In honor of Henry, we are joining the efforts of the Animal Legal Defense Fund to push for change within the US legal system. We want to raise awareness that our Pets are Family, Not Property, and hope everyone who is reading the article to sign the pledge to protect our pets.

“Stop telling me that he’s “just a dog.” My dog has more character, compassion, loyalty, and honesty than most people I know. He’s family.” – unknown author

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” – Anatole France

“It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” – John Grogan