Two stories this morning show how deeply bonds develop between people and their pets. Jessica Simpson is forlorn after losing her dog Daisy to a coyote last week and a judge is ordering a couple to share custody of a Pug in a $40,000 battle.
Simpson was given her Maltipoo in 2004 by then-husband Nick Lachey and Daisy became her security blanket, according to this CNN story. Daisy became one of Hollywood’s most pampered pets. A source told People: She won’t leave her parents house. Another said: “It’s going to put her into a tailspin. It will put her in the worst place ever.”
A judge in Salem, N.J. ordered a former couple to share custody of Dexter, a Pug, after the pair paid lawyers a $40,000 to settle the dispute. Court Judge John Tomasello said Dexter must spend equal time with Doreen Houseman and Eric Dare. Previously, courts found that a dog or a cat was not a child, but rather a piece of property like a table or a lamp that would be divided in divorce. The latest ruling that could change the animals-as-property notion.
The first step is to get “pets” declared a special catagory, not just a piece of property. This view just leads to abuse of animals. In Miss. the laws are weak and as a piece of property, worth no more than what they initially cost you.
The first step is to get “pets” declared a special catagory, not just a piece of property. This view just leads to abuse of animals. In Miss. the laws are weak and as a piece of property, worth no more than what they initially cost you.