Readers, dog owners, can I ask you a question? Or, actually, a few related questions:
If you had to put a dollar figure on it, what would your dog’s life be worth to you? How would you justify that figure?
And, for those of you who have actually HAD TO put a dollar figure on your dog’s life in a lawsuit, or who received compensation after your dog’s life was taken by another – whether through negligence or cruelty or whatever: How much compensation were you able to receive?
Another dog lost his life unnecessarily
I’m asking these questions as I ponder the story of a friend’s pup, who was killed as he lay, on leash, at a public park, by two off-leash dogs, in front of my friend, his nine-year-old daughter, her friend, and other children and parents. I just can’t fully fathom the emotional damage done to my friend and especially his daughter, who had just completed a “puppy kindergarten” training class with her beloved dog. My friend’s daughter, an active, athletic girl, has told her dad she doesn’t want to play at the park anymore, it hurts too much. Is there a price you can put on this pain?
The owner of the attacking dog had released his dogs to run off-leash, in violation of the local leash laws. In my mind, that makes him liable for a bit more in damages, should a suit find him responsible for the loss of my friend’s pup and damages for the bites my friend sustained as he tried to save his pup from the aggressors. But the owner of those dogs stayed at the scene and took responsibility for the dogs, and, in fact, surrendered the dog most responsible for the puppy’s death to the responding animal control officer and requested that the dog be euthanized. Should that act reduce his legal liability?
What does the law say about this?
It’s my understanding that, in this country, dogs are legal property, and their loss is not treated or compensated-for as the loss of a human family member would be. But, as I sit here looking at photos my friend sent me of his happy daughter and her puppy at Christmas, and of the slain puppy and his attackers at the park a few weeks later, waiting for an animal control officer to arrive, I just can’t square the price of a puppy’s purchase with the loss my friend’s family has suffered.
I don’t even know if my friend will pursue a lawsuit or settlement, and of course there is no way of knowing how a judge might rule on such a case, or whether the marauding dogs’ owner feels any responsibility or has a homeowner’s insurance policy or some other way to attempt to compensate my friend for his family’s loss and suffering. I’m just so sad, thinking about it. What is a dog’s life actually worth today?
*A note from Nancy Kerns
In response to the many comments left by our readers, I wanted to state the following:
This is a really upsetting story, I know; I had not yet even met my friend’s puppy, but had seen pictures of his daughter and the pup together, and yet, as I have been discussing the tragedy with my friend and thinking about it – imagining it – I have been in tears several times a day. Awful!
However, I really am hoping to get more answers to the questions at the outset of the post. If you *could* name the price that you would accept for the loss of your dog, how would you set a value on his life? And, more reality-based, if you or someone you know had a dog who was killed through no fault of your own, and if you sought or received compensation for your loss, how was that compensation determined?
Also, I would like it to be known that the attacking dogs were not pit bulls – and their breed is beside the point. I have removed a post or two that was targeting pit bulls, as the breed was in no way relevant in this case. These dogs had been let off leash in a public park that has a leash law, near a children’s playground – that is the point here.
I don’t recall offhand where, but at least one U.S. jurisdiction has awarded damages above loss of property for injury to a family pet. Possibly more. I’m thinking maybe Maryland? Really not sure.
I never take my dogs to public or private parks where there are other dogs. My neighborhood has a significant population of pit bull dogs, all of which I enjoy petting, but I don’t trust them with my dogs and they are never out of my fenced yard.
There is no way I could put a price on my dog’s life and importance to me, nor would I be able to enjoy anything purchased with such money. As well, I’m certain that if I had to endure court proceedings that I would not only lose my dog but my freedom as well and, since dogs are not allowed in prison that is not an option.
I’ve thought about this a few times before — my dog means so much to me I can’t put a number on his worth. At a park we used to go to every afternoon, where the center-field is where kids play sports in the summer, a group of people used to walk around with their mid-sized dogs off-leash. At our first encounter, I was initially confused seeing this group of people with at least 5 mid-size dogs sniffing/walking, but not by their owner’s side. My small breed dog and I were approaching them from the opposite direction, and as soon as I realized they were off-leash (!), I was shocked and quickly stepped way into the field and planted myself between their dogs and mine, ready to pick up my dog if I had to. And, of course, they said their dogs are friendly, to which I responded, what if mine isn’t?! Thankfully, their dogs did seem mild-mannered and they called to them and promptly leashed them up … and again, when we passed each other the 2nd time (so they leashed them only for my sake). This happened several more times on different occasions, but they now seemed annoyed/amused every time we bumped into each other; like it’s too bad my pup is over-stimulated every time he sees their pack of dogs approaching.
Btw, I have a spunky mini schnauzer, and we are constantly “working” on controlling his tendency to get excited. Regardless, it is the law to leash up your dog, for SAFETY reasons. Some people are even afraid of dogs, so it’s not fair to have them worry about dogs approaching them, just because you feel like giving your dogs freedom. Good for you, if your dog is well-behaved, but perhaps you may want to consider other dog owners and their pups who are working on polite walking — having their dogs be approached by off-leash dogs (not one, but several of them, and larger than him) while he is on-leash, is a bad situation. Don’t make us feel bad you have to call your dog to leash them up. They should be leashed up in the first place — the park is for everyone to enjoy and feel safe. At the very least, just obey the signs posted to leash your dogs.
Better yet, carry a gun and kill the attacking dog.
…. heaven forgive me, but the owner, too! (which is one reason I don’t own a gun!)
yes it is not the dogs fault but the owner who should never be allowed to have another animal.
How AWFUL, that poor family and that poor little girl. I do not do parks dog amd limit my use of parks with my dogs because there are FAR to many STUPID dog owners. As for a price tag on my dogs….there is none their lives are PRICELESS. I do hope the owner of the unleaded dogs is Sued and that poor little girl and her family can get compensated for their emotional pain. How heartbreaking.
I heard that story regarding the puppy that was killed. I started to cry so hard that I had to turn off the news. All I could think of was that precious little girl, her puppy and father. I almost lost my dog off leash at a dog park. Two dogs from the same owner started to bury her. When I screamed at him to get his dogs he stated that they were just playing. Two men ran and picked up each pit bull and threw them off my dog and then the man stood up. Fortunately for me other dog owners circled him while my Shiba Inu and I were taken to my car. My dog was being buried and would have died. She is my support dog. The police gave him two tickets but I was told he went back to the park. After speaking with my veterinarian he gave me a list of what he had seen over the years happen to dogs on and off leash at dog parks. We walk now and she has play time with dogs I know. I was hoping that a fund had been set up for that family but never heard anything. That little girl probably needed some therapy and perhaps when she is ready another loving puppy can come into her life. The story still saddens me. If Whole-Dog Journal knows anything regarding this story please post it. No one except another dog owner understands the immense heartbreak of losing your best friend. You say to yourself, never again because another piece of your heart breaks off. Then one day, when you’re ready you open up your soul and home for another life that gives you unconditional love. When you think of what those little eyes watched that day my heart still breaks for her and her family. My hope for her is that “one day” will touch her soul and she is ready to take that step to open up for a new life to enter her life. The laws need to change. My seven German Shepherds, Greyhound, Calico Cat, were living beings with feelings, love, compassion, and support. They were not property. My question to WDJ is what can we do to change the law?
I don’t go to dog parks for this very reason, it is just not worth it! In my neighborhood most of the dog owners like to let their dog run off-lead in large field but 99% of them do not have proper off-leash control of their dog and often my dog and I have been charged at by the dog as they holler at it to come back to them over and over. Even if the charging dog just wants to play, some dogs are reactive and do not like strange dogs. My large lab was like this and I had control of him on his lead however having another off-leash dog charging us or reacting because my dog is growling is both scary and unnecessary. Luckily we both came out of these encounters unscathed but it is completely frustrating!
This is heartbreaking for all. Many relatively inexperienced dog owners would not even understand that their beloved dogs who seem so friendly and clownish could ever be killers or bullies, until after the fact. Dogs have aggressive genes that can be expressed under the right circumstances, we have breed them for this. I do not frequent crowded public areas for this reason. It would be good if there were temperament screening for dogs periodically (maybe during liscencing) and owners were educated about this possibility. This is almost as tragic for the owner of the killer dogs as for the killed dog and its owners (assuming their first knowledge was when the incident happened). I can not put a price on a dog, and it is much easier to be awarded damages than collect them. When I am out with my dogs, we do carry legal persuaders to avert or interrupt any aggression, from man or beast, which is better avoided than suffered.
Loose dogs were NOT responsible for their incredibly irresponsible and stupid behavior of their owner. This owner should not be allowed to have dogs period. Now we have 2 dead dogs maybe 3 because the owner was stupid. This jerk should be heavily fined and should have to do community service at the ASPCA or another like facility. My dogs are my children. There would be hell to pay if this happened to me!!!
This is so horrifying! And I feel we all run this risk all the time–unleashed dogs are everywhere despite leash laws. And those retractable leads are also scary. My dog is my baby girl . . . .no amount of money could compensate for her loss. And I think I would always feel guilty, that I had not protected her.