http://www.justiceforshadow.com
I love dogs and own have owned several (including one presently). However, at the end of the day, they will love whoever feeds them.
I think a big part of this would depend on whether the guy shot the dog because he really didn’t want it in his yard, or if he shot the dog, knowing it would affect the owners. Obviously, it would be very hard to prove the latter, but if it was, then he knew they would suffer a great loss.
I love the hell out of my two dogs, and that’s why I don’t let them run around and bother others. This will set a very bad precedent, leading to PETA’s goal of giving animals the same legal rights as citizens.
“The Scheeles are particularly devoted pet owners. They feed their dogs human food, brush the dogs’ teeth and dress them in raincoats when it’s wet outside. On a Web site devoted to Shadow’s memory, they wrote, “Every day without you running and playing and cuddling with us is more difficult than the day before. The loss of your presence in our every moment is unbelievably painful. Not a moment passes that you are not in our thoughts, our hearts and our prayers.”
Maybe they can use some of the money they win to pay for therapy, they sure need it.
My dogs have proven alot more loving and faithful than some of the girlfriends I’ve ever had.
In certain circumstances in this state you can collect emotional distress damages for breach of contract. Many people are very emotional about their pets, so this doesn't strike me as a big deal.
I love animals, but this equates a dog with kids.
...Sarah Scheele gave up her work as a meeting planner and has devoted her time since the dog’s death to advocating for animal welfare and caring for the six special-needs dogs — most of them abused in the past — the couple has adopted in recent years....
How about CHILD welfare? How about Special Needs kids? I have heard of pet owners as ‘pet parents’. As I tell people who refer to me as my cat’s mom—’No, her mother had for legs and a tail!’
There are 100,000 children in the US alone looking for parents.
WAKE UP, PEOPLE, animals are NOT children. I do think, however, that they deserve to be treated better than endtables.
1. Too fuzzy. How can you measure this? Who is to say one person suffered more (or less) emotionally than another over loss of a pet.
2. They are putting a dog in the same class as humnan being (emotional suffering at loss of spouse vs loss of dog.)
3. Opens pandora’s box. Auto accident involving a dog (your auto insurance rates are going up.) Vet malpractice (this will skyrocket vet bills and vet insurance costs.)
At the end of the day, a dog is a dog. I’m sorry for them, but it isn’t in the same class as losing a human relative. For society’s sake, it can’t be.
They deserve to lose this case. The reason? They didn't love their dog. If they did, they wouldn't have allowed it to wander around on it's own. If anyone should be sued it should be them, for animal neglect.
Currently, the only sane law must treat dogs as property. This is because dogs have no sense of personal responsibility, nor can they be held to account for irrational or violent actions. When a strange dog approaches a person, they cannot tell its intentions. It could be deadly.
That being said, this could radically change. Most mammals share a gene sequence called “FOXP2”, but only humans have a unique mutation to that gene. It is associated with several aspects of speech.
Experimentally, it has been put into mice, who were then observed to be “chatty”, and have an enhanced vocal range.
If put into dogs, it is unlikely that they would be able to converse, but they *might* be able to say some words in context. This is very different from the endless videos of dogs supposedly speaking on YouTube. This would be a dog truly communicating an idea.
But if a dog was able to signal hostile intentions, or friendly intentions, only then can the law consider any special value to the life of a dog.
He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty and was given a year probation. He also was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and pay $4,000 in restitution to the Scheeles.
Sarah Scheele gave up her work as a meeting planner and has devoted her time since the dog's death to advocating for animal welfare and caring for the six special-needs dogs
The Scheeles don't need a lawyer; they need a nurse.