Dog in 'Will battle' has passed away

[Tobi]

Bela the German Shepherd, at the centre of a legal battle in December has now passed away naturally.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/sad-end...e-dog.html

Bela became well known after his owner left a statement in her will that the dog be put to sleep in the event of her death. When the lady died in November, there was a struggle going on to ensure Bela was not killed but given sanctuary in a no-kill shelter in Utah. This was successful, and Bela's life was saved.

However, just recently Bela became suddenly ill (it seems with symptoms of Hemangiosarcoma) and has now passed away.

It does seem that this was 'meant to be' somehow. But my heart goes out to all those who struggled to save him, and also all those who signed the petition to keep him alive.

[Catherine]

The whole thing is sad. It is sad that the owner died and left her dog behind. It is worse that she wanted the dog put down. It is better that Bela died from an illness. You don't want to set a precedent under the law that allows healthy animals to be put down because of someone's will. This was just one dog who died anyhow. Someday it might be a whole lot of healthy animals and the legal precedent would have opened the way for them to all be killed without question.

I wonder why she would want Bela to be put down like that?

[LeonilCraig]

I agree with you Catherine, no one has the right to put a healthy animal into death just because of the will. I would say the dog died to soon because of loneliness and the present condition of illness.

[Catherine]

When it is any kind of legal battle you don't want to set a bad precedence. I just can't see having healthy animals killed for no reason and no one should have the right to do that. You can will your property to whomever you wish, but animals are not ordinary property. They should have special status.

The same would be true if someone owned a famous art work. There is no way they could be allowed to will that the art work be destroyed when they die.