I found this article quite interesting. It talks about a placing sentimental value on a pet who was accidentally euthanized.
Quote:Days later, the Medlens were happy to hear Fort Worth Animal Control had found their beloved pet and they could come by to pick him up.
"When Jeremy and his two small children went to go pick up Avery, they were told they accidentally killed him the day before," said Medlen's attorney, Randy Turner. Source
I think the Medlen's plight to make society aware of the emotional value of our pets is commendable.
Furthermore, I wouldn't want to entrust a person who's accidentally euthanized a pet to be working in such establishments. Having dogs included in the sentimental value rule can impose stricter procedures in dog pounds. After all, these are still lives we are talking about.
I have heard this story before and it still breaks my heart to read it now. I still can't believe that this was allowed to happen. After all isn't it proper procedure to hold on to a pet for a certain amount of days before euthanize them. Also, this shelter knew this pet had an owner, who was coming to get it, yet they euthanize it, yest they claim it was by mistake but who actually knows for sure. I am glad the family didn't let this go because I sure wouldn't if it happen to one of my beloved pets. These dogs are a part of our family, and shelters need to be made aware of this.
This is the second time I have heard something like this happen. One was about a dog who she left at the veterinarian. I believe the dog needed to be groomed, but when she got back, they informed her that they had accidentally killed her dog.
And what was she to do. Even if she sued the clinic (assuming she lived in Texas), all she'd get would be payment for damages (equivalent to the dog's physical worth). So there lies the question on whether a bill on the dog's emotional worth should be written.
According to Texas' sentimental value rule, if a property was wrongfully destroyed (even though it does not have a value), the party involved could sue. Unfortunately, this rule did not include dogs either. So there lies question whether pets, who are part of families, should have as many rights(and much more) as our property.
The story is horrifying. It must be such huge shock to have your totally healthy pet being euthanized by mistake.
Personally I am against euthanizing anything that isn't already near death and suffering. Can't their euthanze procedure be a little more careful? What if that was a human? Yes, as the matter of fact there are people who asked for a "painless death" due to untreatable and suffering diseases. I can't imagine!
I am pretty sure the Animal Control will be sued if they haven't already.
This is indeed a sad story. The person who euthanized the animal should have been held accountable in some way or fashion. The pain of losing a pet is hard enough when they die naturally and this must have been very hard to bear in light of how it happened.
When I was in Florida, I volunteered at animal control for the town I lived in. I saw dogs put down that had bad diseases and some who were so mean you could not safely get near them. I was on the verge of adopting one such animal. I had been in the pen with her and walked her on a leash many times, but the men who took care of the dogs, there had taken her out in the yard for exercise and out of the blue without warning of any kind this dog attacked one of the men. She had to be put down.
When I came the next day they told me what had happened and they had tears in their eyes for me, knowing I was willing to give the dog a home, and for the dog whom they cared about and they felt really bad about what had happened.
I totally agreed with what they had to do, for this dog became non-adoptable because she could not be trusted. They said her former owner had beaten her from the time she was a puppy. So sometimes as much as we want to save them all it just is not possible.
But when a good loving family pet is killed for no good reason it makes no sense at all.
It is impossible to put a value on the loss of a beloved pet, whether or not it was as a result of an error, but I think it would be fair to ask for compensation, in the same way that some people seek monetary recompense when a family member dies due to malpractice or failure to provide proper care.
If it had been necessary to destroy the dog, because it was incurable and suffering or in pain, that could be accepted by the owners as a compassionate act, but to be told that their pet was "accidentally killed" would certainly have caused much unnecessary distress.
Sentimental value as in legal prosecutions, am I correct? If that's the case YES! I agree. Pets are nothing less than kids for us pet owners. They're not animals, they're family members. Putting a pet down because there is no hope of it getting better and stop hurting is compassionate, but a doctor accidentally killed is unforgivable. What kind of person wrongfully put a needle in a pet "accidentally"? How does that even happen? Is this some kind of Jane The Virgin situation?
While I do agree that this was a terrible thing to happen, and I am sure that the family was broken-hearted, it also seems to me that the animal control was not totally at fault here. Apparently, the dog had not been kept in his own yard, or animal control would never have been involved in the situation at all.
Sometimes, dogs can escape, and there is no way that the owner could have prevented it; but usually there is some way that the dog could have been properly contained in his own yard, and the owner failed to do that.
If there were a lot of dogs at the animal control center, it would be possible to make a mistake of which animals had been selected to be euthanized that day. Or maybe, the wrong dog was taken by mistake.
However, the other story, where the dog was left with the vet, and then put to sleep, that seems to me that it could only have been the responsibility of the Veterinarians office, and the dog was placed there in good faith by the owner that the dog would be taken care of.
In any case where it is determined that the company who killed the dog (or other pet) was at fault, then I think there should be a reasonable determination for financial restitution, even when the pet does not have a monetary value for replacement.
This is a sad thread that I hope I hadn't read. But for sure I can relate to the pain of that family which lost their pet to neglect of the Animal Control. When our first dog got sick, I asked the vet if he could perform surgery because the suspicion is kidney stone. But being 10 years old, our dog might not survive the operation according to the vet. At impulse, I said that I am willing to spend even a million just so my dog would live longer... but to no avail. Within a month, Jedi passed away via euthanasia - the vet had put her to sleep so she could be spared of the suffering. Losing a dog is like losing a family so it's really terrible.
_The idea of putting a dog to sleep by accident is certainly disheartening. I often visit shelters in my area. Honestly to give a bit of love to the sad faces in the kennels. Not knowing whether they will make it into a forever or even foster is an awful feeling. That's quiet selfish of me in my opinion. Keeping it focuseson loving not leaving helps. The underlying problem ismore than half will be put under. Not by mistake. Because society. Out of sight out of mind for most. Awareness helps but at this point is not enough. Support our shelters but more so support our best friends!!
