PETITION TO CHANGE THE LAW: RECOGNIZE OUR FURRY CHILDREN AS FAMILY, NOT PROPERTY

We demand justice for our furry children and stronger laws to protect them!

Unfortunately, on February 9, 2022, at approximately 5:15 p.m., at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and Fifth Street, a bus ran a red light, entered the pedestrian crosswalk, and struck my beloved dog—my furry son.

Instead of stopping and giving my furry son a chance to survive, the driver accelerated and ran over him with both wheels. He continued driving until he had passed the bus stop.

When I ran to the front door of the bus to confront the driver, he laughed and asked, “What did I do?” I then ran to the back door and confronted him again. He laughed and said, “Oops.”

Three separate times, this driver told me, “It's just a dog.”

HE WAS NOT JUST A DOG. HE WAS MY SON. HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND. HE WAS MY FAMILY.

My furry son was not an object or a possession to me. I loved him as I would my own flesh and blood. He was my child, my companion, and a part of my family. Losing him was devastating, and the way his life was treated made that loss even more painful.

When I contacted the claims office, I was asked to put a price on my furry son. I could not do it. How could I put a dollar amount on a life that meant so much to me? How could I assign a market value to the love, companionship, and memories of a family member who could never be replaced?

What hurt even more was feeling that the system viewed my furry son as nothing more than property, while I was left to mourn the loss of someone I considered my child.

I also felt that the limited time allowed for pursuing justice did not give my family enough time to process this devastating loss while trying to understand our legal rights and navigate the claims process. Families should not have to fight against the clock while grieving the sudden and traumatic loss of a beloved companion.

I believe there is something deeply wrong with a system that can recognize animal cruelty as a serious offense, yet still treat the death of a beloved companion animal primarily as the loss of property when a family seeks compensation.

If our furry children depend on us for their food, shelter, safety, love, and care, why does the law fail to recognize the special place they hold in our families?

Our dogs depend on us just as we depend on them. They comfort us when we are hurting, stand beside us through difficult times, and give us unconditional love. They become part of our daily lives and our homes. To many of us, they are our children in every way that matters to our hearts.

THEY ARE MORE THAN PROPERTY. THEY ARE LIVING BEINGS. THEY ARE OUR COMPANIONS. THEY ARE OUR FAMILY. THEY ARE OUR FURRY CHILDREN.

WHAT WE ARE ASKING CALIFORNIA TO CHANGE

I am asking California lawmakers to take action and create legislation that recognizes the unique relationship between people and their companion animals and provides meaningful legal protections for the families who love them.

We are asking for the following changes:

1. Recognize furry children as family members, not merely property.

Create a separate legal classification for companion animals that recognizes their intrinsic value, their importance in our lives, and the family bonds we share with them. They should not be treated solely as replaceable possessions.

2. Give families more time to seek justice.

Extend the deadlines for filing claims and pursuing compensation when a companion animal is wrongfully injured or killed. Families need a fair opportunity to grieve, understand their legal rights, gather evidence, and pursue justice. Special consideration should be given to claims involving government agencies and public transportation.

3. Hold those responsible accountable.

Review and strengthen the laws and penalties applicable when someone unlawfully or recklessly causes the injury or death of a companion animal. No one should be excused from responsibility simply because the life they took belonged to an animal.

4. Recognize the loss of a family member.

Allow courts, where authorized by law, to consider the relationship between a companion animal and its family when determining appropriate compensation. The value of a furry child's life should not automatically be reduced to its market price or replacement cost.

5. Protect grieving families from unfair barriers to justice.

Establish clear claim deadlines, accessible information about legal rights, and appropriate exceptions when justified by the circumstances. Families should not be left feeling that the opportunity to seek justice has disappeared before they have had a fair chance to understand the process.

WHY THIS CHANGE MATTERS

I know I am not the only person who has loved a dog as a child. Across California, countless families share their homes and lives with companion animals who are deeply loved and irreplaceable.

When one of these animals is wrongfully killed, the loss can leave a family heartbroken. Yet families may find themselves being asked to place a financial value on a life they never considered replaceable in the first place.

We cannot bring our furry children back. We cannot erase the pain of losing them. But we can work to ensure that other families receive better legal recognition, clearer protections, and a fair opportunity to seek justice.

This petition is about more than what happened to my furry son. It is about changing a system that does not fully reflect the love and responsibility that exist between families and their companion animals.

I am asking lawmakers, animal advocates, and members of the public to stand with us and support meaningful legal reform.

Please help us change the law so that our furry children are recognized as the beloved family members they are, so that families have more time to pursue justice, and so that those responsible for wrongfully taking their lives can be held accountable under the law.

OUR FURRY CHILDREN CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. WE MUST SPEAK FOR THEM.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION AND HELP US CHANGE THE LAW.

Let us give our furry children the recognition and protection they deserve. Let us give their families a fair chance to seek justice. And let us work toward a future in which no family is told that the life they lost was worth nothing more than the price of a piece of property.

They are not just dogs. They are our children. They are our family. And their lives matter.