
A healthy Shih Tzu mix dog was euthanised as per her owner’s dying wishes to have the pet buried with her.
The dog, called Emma, had been taken to Chesterfield County Animal Shelter in Virginia after the death of her owner. The shelter had tried to keep the dog alive, however after two weeks of back and forth with the shelter and executors of the will, they lost the battle and the dog was euthanised.
"We did suggest they could sign the dog over on numerous occasions, because it's a dog we could easily find a home for and re-home," said Carrie Jones, manager of Chesterfield Animal Services told CNN affiliate WWBT.
Eventually, on the 22 March the executor of the owner’s estate went to the shelter, took Emma to a local vet and had her euthanised and taken to a pet cremation centre.
Emma’s ashes were then put in an urn and given to the executor of the woman’s estate.
Not all US states legally allow people to be buried with their pets, but Virginia happens to be one where they can as a result of a 2014 law change. Although there are some caveats: cemetaries must set aside property to create sections where pets and humans can be buried together, and pets cannot be buried in the same grave as their human owners.
The decision to put down a healthy dog was met with widespread criticism
This is horrible. I took my dad's dog to visit him in hospice a few times, but it never occurred to either of us to… https://t.co/JEfUDjTw3G— Time to Prosecute (@Time to Prosecute) 1558570663
Really? That's how you show your animal your love? Killing them so you can have them put in a box with your dead bo… https://t.co/tc3LDddxkY— J.R. Rioux - #WIP For All Of Eternity Book 1 (@J.R. Rioux - #WIP For All Of Eternity Book 1) 1558572952
Dog owners, especially, were up in arms about the killing of a healthy animal
@TheTalkCBS This story just broke my heart! As a dogmom myself, I can understand not ever wanting be separated fr… https://t.co/m6ctUlvDrE— Kristie Lent (@Kristie Lent) 1558561675
Not sure what I think about this. A healthy dog euthanized so that it could be buried with its owner. I am as bon… https://t.co/V9dZEw2hgq— Chuck Bell (@Chuck Bell) 1558531554
And thought it was a "selfish" reason
@ChuckBell4 I couldn't agree with you more @ChuckBell4 . at the risk of speaking ill of the deceased, this sounds… https://t.co/KumJ9PniHZ— nickie denick (@nickie denick) 1558531978
And one owner revealed he has his dog in the will - and people to look after it in the event he dies before his pet
Americans living in states where this is allowed, are trying to change the law
Others tried to get into the mindset of the owner - maybe she didn't trust anyone with her dog?
@TheTalkCBS Seems bizarre but maybe she didn’t think she could trust anyone to take care of the dog or maybe she di… https://t.co/zxD8ymCIFo— Trisha Jondle (@Trisha Jondle) 1558542283
@AmyFox43 Amy, I'm really torn on this. Presumably, this woman really loved her dog (and was in sound mind!) but th… https://t.co/cmaCBYXZgm— Gregory Pike (@Gregory Pike) 1558530106
And animal rights activists are pointing out that the outrage is a bit misplaced given an entire meat industry in which animals in their hundreds of thousands are slaughtered
@TheTalkCBS The outrage is interesting tho given the number of healthy young animals euthanized , left homeless at… https://t.co/YEsoYEAV58— Mary Miller🦍🐵🐷🐸🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘 (@Mary Miller🦍🐵🐷🐸🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘) 1558569175
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