Healthy dog euthanized after dead owner leaves will asking for pet to be buried with her
RICHMOND, Va. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A healthy dog in Virginia was recently euthanized in order to fulfill the wishes of her dead owner who asked for her pet to be buried with her.
A Shih Tzu mix named Emma reportedly arrived at the Chesterfield Animal Shelter on March 8 with instructions for her to be put down according to the deceased owner's will. The shelter said they pleaded with the executor of the woman's estate for two weeks to let them find a new home for Emma, but were unable to talk them out of it.
Emma was instead taken to a vet office and put down. Her remains were cremated and placed inside an urn as her owner had instructed.
According to Virginia law, dogs are seen as personal property. It is not illegal to have a healthy pet euthanized, however, many veterinarians have ethical reasons for not wanting to perform the procedure.
Virginia law also states that pets cannot be buried with human remains in the same commercial cemetery plot, but exceptions are made when it is a private and family-owned cemetery.