for those of us who care about our animals, like you and all of us who visit this site to share stories and info, they ARE service animals. They provide constant and consistant companionship, love, loyalty, laughs, and are better listeners than your best human friend. My dog provides unrivaled "service" by his mere existence.
He does not help me cross the street; he has the street sense of a marshmallow and I have to hang onto him. He does not help me navigate thru the grocery store; if I took him in, he'd be bolting for the meat section, knocking over anything in his path. He does not push open doors, turn on any lights or get me a drink from the fridge (I'm sure he'd love learning to open THAT door, though) but I could not put a value on him, and likely no-one here could put value on their dog, either. Pet food manufacturers and the legal system do not typically see pets as anything but an accessory.
posted by mberry
over 2 years ago
It is very sad. All of our animals are most important to us. I would be devastated if I lost one of mine from the dog food. They are my best friends and they light up my life!!
Michigan recently changed the laws concerning the value of pets, taking into consideration, the emotional investment and the ongoing financial investment beyond the purchase price.
It used to be, a pet was worth only it's purchase price, if you could prove what you paid for it. So, if you acquired a free puppy, and invested thousands of dollars in it's vet care, grooming costs, training classes, food, extra rental fees and deposits, travel and boarding expenses, licenses, etc., over a period of time, not to mention your love and care and time invested, your pet would have been considered "worthless" under the old law.
I understand, class action suits are being filed against those responsible for the contaminated food, and they will be suing for more than the medical costs involved in the victim pets' care. They will try to recover the true value of these pets (and their suffering) and their owners pain and suffering. I wish them luck in this endeavor--the outcome may effect change in the laws in the rest of the country.
