Can You Determine Your Pet’s Worth?

Is it actually possibly to calculate your pet’s worth into dollars and cents? Of course, if you purchased your pet from a shelter, it might have cost you $100 or maybe thousands if you bought a specific breed from a pet store or breeder. You could consider this to be the value of your pet, but isn’t your pet worth more than dollar amounts?

Next week an animal-rights case may answer the question of whether pets have worth. Jeffrey Nanni is suing his former domestic partner, Maurice Kevin Smith, for allegedly killing their 12-pound Chihuahua named Buster. As a result of Buster’s untimely death two years ago, Nanni claims to still be experiencing emotional distress. As any pet owner knows, losing your pet is more like losing a close companion, family member and maybe even child depending on the type of bond you had with the animal. Given the situation and if Smith really did kill the dog, wouldn’t that be even more heartbreaking?

According to Virginia state law, dogs and cats qualify as property, but you’re only entitled to recover the pet’s replacement value. This means the initial money you spent to purchase the animal. Nanni is taking the suit further by fighting for the replacement value and the emotional distress.

If the court takes Nanni’s side, it could mean a change in perception and possibly a change in law. Animals can be an integral part of people’s lives, and it’s unfortunate that pets can get hurt from a relationship gone bad. Not only can this case show that pets have a greater value than money, it can also serve as an example to those who get away too easily for harming an animal.

A case like this can get some flak, because people might speculate as to the real reason why Nanni is suing for monetary compensation. However, if your pet was murdered, wouldn’t you want the person who did it to pay in some way?

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