In a remarkably callous decision that sets the law back many years, the Texas Supreme Court says that when cherished pet is killed, owners of the dog can do nothing about it. The court based its decision in part on the idea that at common law no one could sue for the wrongful death of a human being. This is a widely held belief by attorneys everywhere. The problem is that it is dead wrong. If you will go to page 26 of the document that you can download here you will see a scholarly article explaining why this belief is incorrect. [The first 25 pages are the opinion in the dog case.] Instead of doing a scholarly analysis similar to the downloaded paper, the Texas Supreme Court simply has said this is so. But, back to the dog. In a tone that strikes the reader as almost mocking, the Court quotes Lord Byron and says they cry everytime Old Yeller dies at the end of that movie. So, what happened to the dog owners? Their lost dog was recovered at a shelter and they went to pick him up. But, they didn't have the $80 needed to spring the pooch handy at the time. So, they came back next day with the money but the shelter had killed the animal - even though a shelter worker put a "do not kill" sign on the dog. So, its open season on pound puppies now. Pet owners deserve better.
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