dog to be euthanized and burried with owner...

[TooPatient]

Just saw an article that has me absolutely

I'm posting this here in hopes that our animal loving community can be aware of what is happening and (hopefully) maybe help save this beautiful dog.


LINK

A healthy German shepherd in Indiana may be euthanized after his owner requested that his ashes be buried with her upon her death, Fox 19 reported.

Connie Lay, who died on Nov. 25, mentioned in her will that she wanted Bela, her beloved dog, to be put down and have his ashes put with her own. The report pointed out that animals are considered possessions and the owner has the legal right to decide its fate.

A veterinarian agreed to put down the dog, but the news did not sit well with animal rights activists and a tri-state effort ensued.

An alternative to Bela's fate, as mentioned in the will, would be to send the dog to Best Friends Animal Society in Utah, a no-kill sanctuary, the report said. But the attorney said due to financial strains, that is not an option.

Best Friends Animal Society said, in a statement, that it wants Bela to end up at its sanctuary, but "the decision to send him to us (or) to have him put down and cremated is out of our hands."

The dog is currently held at PAWS of Dearbon County as he awaits his fate. Volunteers have offered to adopt the dog, but that is not in line with Lay's will. The humane center holding Bela said in a statement that the dog will not be euthanized at its center.

"If a euthanization decision is reached by the estate, then it will be the responsibility of the estate to make those arrangements elsewhere," the statement read.

 

[TooPatient]

The original article from Indiana: LINK


DEARBORN COUNTY, IN (FOX19) -
In the eyes of the law, pets are possessions and when you die, you have the right to decide where they go but what if that means bringing those pets to the grave with you?

That is what one Aurora, Ind. woman decided to do. Connie Lay's attorney tells us she had a few possible plans laid out for her dog Bela at her death. One of them being that the male German Shepard be put down and his ashes put with Lay's. It's a fate Bela was set to meet Tuesday morning despite objections from volunteers who want to give her a good home.

But after the Tri-State's outcry to #SaveBela, a second option in Connie Lay's will is being considered, which means, at least for now, Bela will not be euthanized.

According to Connie Lay's attorney Doug Denmore, the alternate option is to send Bela to Best Friends Animal Society in Utah, the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the country. But he says that option is not financially feasible. Still, until the estate decides what to do, Bela is safe.

Best Friends Animal Society issued this statement regarding Bela Thursday:

We want to save Bela's life and bring him to our sanctuary, but the decision to send him to us or have him put down and cremated is out of our hands. The decision needs to be made by the person designated in Ms. Ley's will and we are hopeful that she will agree. Please be patient as we educate her about Best Friends life-saving mission and demonstrate that Bela will be in good hands.

Please show your support for Bela to come to Best Friends by adding your positive message of hope for Bela to have a safe and happy holiday by using the #Hashtag #SaveBela.

This situation is really a great reminder that our animals are our family, and families should plan for their pets who survive them. Whenever possible, the best option is for an adoptive home to have been identified, with informed consent, prior to the owners passing.
Bela is currently being boarded at PAWS of Dearborn County after he was found with his owner Connie Lay at her home when she passed away. According to volunteers, he is a smart, well trained, sweet dog who deserves a home. But according to the attorney handling Lay's estate, that was not his owner's wishes.
It is an option legal analyst Mike Allen says isn't entirely uncommon or illegal.

"Animals are considered property and that's what the point of a will is to dispose of property upon one's death. You have that conflicting though with rules that say you have to treat animals humanely,” said Allen.

Volunteers say several have offered to adopt Bela but Denmore says it's Lay's dog and the executor of her will has the authority to carry out her wishes.

"It's just not right you know. Every animal, person, any living thing has a right to live it's life and they can't just end it because of somebody who thinks it's the right way for them,” said Derrick Embleton.

Attorney Denmore says Bela's owner did keep a record of aggressive behavior but those that have handled the dog tell FOX 19 he has shown no signs of being vicious.
Copyright 2014 WXIX. All rights reserved.

 

[kenny]

Wow, I'm beside myself.

The real bitch in this was the human.

 

[yennyfire]

Wow, I'm beside myself.

The real bitch in this was the human.

Well said Kenny...how absolutely selfish. I'm

Poor puppy! I hope that they find a way to give him to a good home.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Booooooooooo. This is not ok. For real, why does the dog need to die? What does is matter what gets left behind when you're dead? Your dog is not going to float up to your cloud and play fetch

 

[TooPatient]

It gets worse if you can stand the full article.

The will specified he could be sent to an animal sanctuary in Utah. The executor just doesn't want to spend the money to send him

 

[TooPatient]

It gets worse if you can stand the full article.

The will specified he could be sent to an animal sanctuary in Utah. The executor just doesn't want to spend the money to send him

 

[ForteKitty]

Can they put down the executor instead?

 

[Calliecake]

Can money be donated to the sanctuary to pay for Bela's airfare? Seriously how much could it possibly cost to send the dog to the sanctuary.....a couple hundred dollars?

 

[TooPatient]

Can money be donated to the sanctuary to pay for Bela's airfare? Seriously how much could it possibly cost to send the dog to the sanctuary.....a couple hundred dollars?

That is one of the things I'm hoping to find.

There is (in the second story posted) a place for messages encouraging the person to send him to the sanctuary. The sanctuary set this up in hopes of convincing the person to send him.

 

[distracts]

wtf??? Why couldn't the dog go somewhere else, whether the sanctuary or an adopter, and money have been left so that when the dog dies, the dog could be cremated and ashes scattered at the grave of the owner. Like, that makes WAY more sense, and their final resting place can still be together. No need to kill the dog to do it though.

 

[Resonance.Of.Life]

What the heck is wrong with people? To even consider euthanizing a very much healthy and happy dog? I love my dogs dearly, but I'd never, ever euthanize them for that reason.

 

[missy]

Oh g-d too upset to read the article. Why can't Best Friends pay for sending the dog to them? Personally I give them a lot of money each year and if they cannot spend the few hundred to get Bela to them I am

And yeah the real winners in this story are the owner and the executor. This is exactly why I really hate some people and prefer the company of animals over most people in general. Hands down. So upset and angry right now. I am definitely putting a call into Best Friends tomorrow.

ForteKitty, I love your suggestion as well.


ETA: My dad has it in his will to have our dog's ashes to be mixed with his when my dad dies. Our dog died in 1974 so I can understand my dad's wishes. This woman's wishes well how much could this woman have even loved her dog if she is willing to have done this.

 

[TooPatient]

Thank you Missy!

I have been so mad since I saw the article. I hope enough people leave messages and are able to save this dog. His owner claimed he was dangerous but those who have been caring for him say he has shown no signs of aggression.

There are even pilots out there who donate their services to fly animals in their private airplanes to get to loving homes. If the executor will allow it, there ate plenty of people across the country willing to help so it won't cost him or the estate anything.

I'll be making some calls tomorrow too. Hopefully enough of us animal lovers will act that something can be done to save Bela.

 

[momhappy]

While I find the request very disturbing, almost 3 million healthy dogs & cats are euthanized each year in the US (according to the Humane Society). If people truly want to save dogs (or other potential pets), there are lots of organizations to donate to - not that this dog in particular isn't worthy, I was just considering the cause as a whole. In addition to my local shelters, I found an organization that distributes pet food to families that are struggling in an effort to prevent more animals from being surrendered to shelters over financial reasons. They even have a link on Amazon where I can purchase pet food and it gets shipped directly to the organization and distributed to those in need.
I also have to add that my family had a german Shepard while growing up and it was extremely loyal to my family - and no one else (to the point where it was aggressive towards others). When my siblings and I all moved out and went off to college, my dad sold the house and moved into an apartment where dogs were not allowed. He worked hard to find a home for the dog and he managed to find a family that lived out on the country that was willing to give the dog a try. Unfortunately, the dog remained extremely aggressive and the family ended up surrendering him to the shelter.
I hope that a resolution can be found and this particular dog will not need to be euthanized, but without knowing the exact circumstances of the dog in the article, it's difficult toy make a judgement call on it.

 

[aljdewey]

It's interesting that the several versions of the article posted here don't include the fact that a veterinarian recommended putting the dog down. What's not clear from the article is when that recommendation was made (i.e. made by a vet after the owner's death based on the dog's aggression in guarding his deceased owner, or made before her death based on the prior history of aggression.)

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/bella-bequest-connie-lays-will-asks-for-still-living-dog-to-be-euthanized-buried-with-her

"Denmure said Lay didn’t trust Bella to be around others and the 105-pound dog has a history of aggressive behavior. He called the dog “potentially dangerous.”

“He could cause damage and inflict bodily harm on strangers, in particular, children,” Denmure said. “When (Lay) died, she died at her home and the dog was in there. No one could enter the house because they were concerned the dog would attack.”

He said a veterinarian recommended Bella be put down."

In reading this story a few times, I came away feeling that the motivation of owner may not have been selfishness. It may have been a desire to avoid being responsible for someone else being seriously injured by her dog, and the disposition request (to be buried with her) may have been an expression of love and not selfishness.

Purely speculative, but it's not wholly clear cut.

 

[missy]

momhappy, it is sometimes frustrating talking with you here. Sorry but when it comes to animals inevitably that is how some of your posts come across to me at least. Doing one thing has nothing to do with doing another thing. One can certainly give money and help to worthy animal organizations (I do and lots of people thankfully do too) but it does not have to be to the exclusion of providing help to individual animals that need support and help.

ETA: Just saw your wise edit. Thank you.

 

[momhappy]

momhappy, it is sometimes frustrating talking with you here. Sorry but when it comes to animals inevitably that is how some of your posts come across to me at least. Doing one thing has nothing to do with doing another thing. One can certainly give money and help to worthy animal organizations (I do and lots of people thankfully do too) but it does not have to be to the exclusion of providing help to individual animals that need support and help.

ETA: Just saw your wise edit. Thank you.

I guess that I'm not sure why my posts frustrate you, but I'm sorry that you feel that way. In my post, I specifically said that perhaps the dog was worth saving - so maybe you missed that part? My point was just that millions of animals are euthanized each year and I wish that these sorts of rescue efforts could help them too.

 

[TooPatient]

Alj--

I saw something mentioning the vet, but it didn't include that recommendation. Thanks for sharing!


I wonder what happened to get him called dangerous? I'd be curious to know since the shelter caring for him since her death says he is not aggressive at all. Given that, I would hope he is given a chance to live at the sanctuary.

 

[aljdewey]

TP, I do think there is some merit to the observations of the shelter staff....but for me, the question is how much merit?

The staffers have been involved with the dog for a scant three weeks; should their observations trump those of the owner who lived for years with the dog, who claims a history of aggression? I don't know.

It's also hard to determine how much weight to give their observations because they're seeing the dog in a controlled and extremely artificial environment - no kids, no mailmen, etc. etc. Is the dog's shelter behavior really indicative of what its behavior would be in a home or placement setting? Hard to say...and what happens if they place the dog and then it goes on to hurt someone? Who will be legally and financially responsible for the flawed decision to override the original owner's judgment if it goes bad?

 

[TooPatient]

TP, I do think there is some merit to the observations of the shelter staff....but for me, the question is how much merit?

The staffers have been involved with the dog for a scant three weeks; should their observations trump those of the owner who lived for years with the dog, who claims a history of aggression? I don't know.

It's also hard to determine how much weight to give their observations because they're seeing the dog in a controlled and extremely artificial environment - no kids, no mailmen, etc. etc. Is the dog's shelter behavior really indicative of what its behavior would be in a home or placement setting? Hard to say...and what happens if they place the dog and then it goes on to hurt someone? Who will be legally and financially responsible for the flawed decision to override the original owner's judgment if it goes bad?

I do see your point and would probably be concerned about that too if I was the one to be held legally responsible.

That said, Bela would be going to a sanctuary not a home. They are aware of the possible issue and want her anyway. I would think there must be some way to ensure legal liability is not an issue for the executor if that is what he is worried about.

 

[arkieb1]

Reading between the lines the owner actually wanted to send the poor dog to Best Friends Sanctuary to live out the rest of her days but couldn't afford it and the executor isn't going to give up their fees and charges and are taking the easiest, cheapest way out which is simply putting the poor dog down. Hopefully a no kill animal rights group or person can step in, raise the money needed and sent Bela to Best Friends Sanctuary, to live out the rest of her days until she can be buried with her owner.

 

[lulu]

This raises some legitimate questions about providing for your pets after your death. I'm 61 and DH is 70. We have a 4 year old dog and 2 cats, ages 3 and 5. I am hoping I will outlive all of them, but you can't be sure.

We help support a senior dog sanctuary and we left a bequest and they would take Bear, but I worry about the cats. Our kids have their own pets. I have to say I'd almost rather have the cats put down when I die than have them go to a shelter. I know this can be seen as selfish, but I volunteer at a shelter and I get very sad thinking about my guys there.

What plans has everyone here made?

 

[VRBeauty]

Thanks for that clarification, Aldj. I was also thinking of some of my own experiences with pets that might explain the owner's mandates, and excessive aggression on the part of the dog seemed the most likely explanation.

When my brother married my SIL (almost 25 years ago now!), she had a German Shepherd that could not trusted around anyone but the family it was raised with because of excessive aggressiveness. They had originally actually rescued it from its mother, which was apparently trying to kill it... who knows, maybe the mother knew something the human family did not? Anyhow, they had to work with the GSD for quite awhile before he'd allow my brother to visit his fiance, and while that dog was alive, my brother and SIL could go out of town only if my SIL's brother was available to sit the dog. I'm sure you could argue that the problem is one of how the dog was trained - but this was a dog-owning and dog-knowledgeable family. In any event, by at some point that was probably a moot point.

Recently my father, who was recently widowed, adopted a female 3-year old GSD given up by a family that said they didn't have enough time to spend with her. My father had had her less than a month when she killed my father's cat... actually, it had primarily been my late mother's cat, which made the loss that much more difficult. I often bring my cat with me when I go to visit my father for more than one day, as do my brother and SIL, so my father keeping the dog simply wasn't an option. I was really concerned that we wouldn't be able to find a new home for a dog with such a blot against it. I just couldn't imagine a "mainstream" family, i.e., someone who wasn't specifically looking for a deranged killer guard dog, wanting a dog that had killed a cat. Fortunately the trainer we had been working with convinced me that this level of aggression is common among GSDs, and that this would not be considered a fatal flaw by many of the breed's aficionados. (In fact I found a local GSD rescue operation whose website used a specific icon to indicate dogs that had been tested to be OK around cats - I think only about one-fourth of its dogs met their cat-OK criteria). It took two months, but we were able to find her a terrific new home with a family that had owned and trained GSDs before, and would never consider owning a cat, and whose property was large enough that the dog was not likely to be a danger to neighboring cats. I think we really lucked out, but... we'll take it!

It's possible that this dog's now-deceased owner truly felt that this dog couldn't be trusted with others, and that she believed she was protecting potential new owners from harm with this stipulation.

I've also had two cats (one of which is Maya, my current cat) who were originally very skittish in a way that apparently is not that uncommon - they could only take so much affection, and they'd sometimes turn on me and attack me when this threshold was breached. When I say "attack", I mean draw blood. Over time I learned to read the signals that they were uncomfortable, and gradually managed to increase their comfort level to the point where this trait became almost non-existent. Nonetheless, about a year ago I apparently crossed this boundary with Maya (who I've had for about 15 years) and she scratched me badly enough to warrant a trip to the ER. Both of these cats were rescues in one way or another, and in both cases, especially in their early years with me, I assumed that it would not be possible to re-home them. I knew I'd have to let potential new owners know that about the aggressiveness, and with so many cats available for adoption, why would anyone opt for a potentially dangerous cat? It's possible that the owner of this GSD felt that she was in a similar bind.

 

[TooPatient]

This raises some legitimate questions about providing for your pets after your death. I'm 61 and DH is 70. We have a 4 year old dog and 2 cats, ages 3 and 5. I am hoping I will outlive all of them, but you can't be sure.

We help support a senior dog sanctuary and we left a bequest and they would take Bear, but I worry about the cats. Our kids have their own pets. I have to say I'd almost rather have the cats put down when I die than have them go to a shelter. I know this can be seen as selfish, but I volunteer at a shelter and I get very sad thinking about my guys there.

What plans has everyone here made?

We have a good friend (who also happens to be the executor of our will in case anything happens to both of us) who will take the cats and dogs. This is a verbal agreement that I have no doubts he'll stand by if the need is ever there.

Our will needs updating so when I do that, I'm also adding the cats & dogs specifically so that there is no room for issue. We'll also be specifying a secondary person in the event he is not in the position to take them at the time (need to run it by her first) and further details on a no-kill organization in our area that does great work. The animals live in volunteer homes so they aren't kept in cages and are carefully placed in good homes (sometimes even requiring in home visits prior to (and after) adoption to make sure the home is a good fit).

Lulu -- I'm glad you are thinking of this now! I know it is hard to think about but it certainly beats the alternative. Don't feel like you have to stick to just family. Our friends are much more capable of taking our animals than any of our family.
Heck, if you need someone I would be willing to step in. (seriously)

 

[aljdewey]

Reading between the lines the owner actually wanted to send the poor dog to Best Friends Sanctuary to live out the rest of her days but couldn't afford it

This is precisely the feeling I got, too.

 

[lulu]

Thanks, Too Patient.It always drives me crazy when seniors come into the shelter intent on adopting a kitten!

 

[TooPatient]

Thanks, Too Patient.It always drives me crazy when seniors come into the shelter intent on adopting a kitten!

Hopefully they have a good plan in place. If so, I'm glad the kitten has a good home. If not, well... Maybe a neighbor or friend will be there to take care of them when the time comes.

The older kitties in our local shelter break my heart. They used to share each cats story and so often the 15+ year olds belonged to an older person who died. I hate to see them in those cages knowing that most people don't want an older cat. One in particular almost came home with me a few weeks ago. She was 18 years old and an absolute sweetie but it was clear she was lonely. (Thankfully she got a home that week!)

I wish people who are older would choose to get active with rescue organizations. I know of at least one locally that does long term foster where people can foster the same cat for months or years. Vet bills and food expenses mostly paid for and then there is a group who can re-home if the foster family is no longer able. Seems like a good thing for the kitties and the people.

I do genuinely mean it -- if your cats ever need a home, I'll make sure they are as spoiled and pampered as any cat can be. (but i hope you have many many more years to share with them)

 

[April20]

I saw this article earlier today. What is wrong with people? The line at the dog is "part of the estate" and can therefore be dealt with as the owner wished made me livid. I can't even.....

 

[lulu]

Thanks, Too Patient! So far I'm in good health and I plan on going the distance with my guys. But I'll let you know if that changes.