Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

meow2u3

(24,761 posts)
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 10:19 PM Jun 2016

This Oregon court cast just majorly changed the rights of pets — yes, pets

There are plenty of pet owners out there who love their furry friends more than they love most (if not all) humans. However, pets have always been considered mere “property” in the eyes of the law. . . until recently, that is.

Last week, the Oregon Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking ruling that viewed an emaciated dog named Juno as a living being, rather than just a “thing.” Of course, any human with a heart knows that dogs are more than just “things,” but under the law, they were considered to be property just as much as a bookcase or a car. Oregon law cared more about who *owned* an animal rather than the animal’s rights. However, in the case last week, the court unanimously ruled that Juno’s negligent and abusive owner is guilty, despite a vet’s gathering evidence via medical exams and treatments without a warrant.

The case began six years ago, when the Oregon Humane Society found that a Portland resident, Amanda Newcomb, was beating and starving Juno. Juno had “no fat on his body” and “was kind of eating at random things in the yard, and trying to vomit,” according to Oregon Live.

When Juno was brought to the Humane Society, he was given a body condition score of 1.5 on a scale of 1 (emaciated) to 9 (overweight). The Humane Society vet also drew blood from Juno to make sure he didn’t have a condition that would have caused a low body weight. Finding nothing, Newcomb was charged with second-degree animal neglect.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/oregon-court-cast-just-majorly-200050228.html

7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

JudyM

(29,225 posts)
2. More of these decisions, soon, please! And hopefully extended to factory-farmed animals.
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 10:23 PM
Jun 2016

Only then will we have any right to call ourselves a civil society.

Thanks for posting!!

Orrex

(63,191 posts)
7. What sarcasm?
Fri Jun 24, 2016, 07:52 AM
Jun 2016

It's also a common practice to imprison large dogs in crates for hours each day.

We're more than willing to pretend that we give them rights as long as those rights aren't inconvenient for humans.

niyad

(113,213 posts)
4. in searching for when Boulder started considering our furry friends as companions, rather than
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 10:33 PM
Jun 2016

property (which is what pets are considered to be in most jurisdictions), I came across this very interesting (and lengthy!!) article:

https://www.animallaw.info/article/fido-seeks-full-membership-family-dismantling-property-classification-companion-animals

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»This Oregon court cast ju...