Woman’s Will Asks for Her Dog to Be Euthanized and Buried With Her

© 2011 Magnus Bråth, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Pets often get the short end of the stick when their caretakers/owners die.  They may be placed in a shelter, or — if they are lucky — adopted by a family or friend.

In the case of Bela the German Shepherd, she may really be getting the shortest end of the stick.

Via Gawker:

When Connie Lay of Aurora, Indiana died last month, her will outlined just few options for the care of her dog Bela, considered to be her property in the eyes of the law.

“(Lay) made provisions that in the event of her death, she wanted her very close friend to take charge of the dog,” her attorney Doug Denmure told WCPO. “…She also then requested that the dog be put to sleep, cremated and that the dog’s ashes be placed with her own ashes.”

Per legal analyst Mike Allen, the option of having your animal put down 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.

Via Fox: For now, Bela is 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.”

PAWS of Dearborn issued this statement:

You may have seen the news story regarding Bela, the German Shepherd dog being housed at PAWS Humane Center. We would like to take a moment to clarify the circumstances of Bela’s stay at our Center.

Legally, Bela is considered the property of the estate of the deceased person and not PAWS Humane Center. He is only being housed and cared for at our Center while legal proceedings with the estate are being finalized.

PAWS has no legal right or control over his outcome. Bela will not be euthanized at our facility, either by PAWS staff or the Dearborn County Animal Control Officers. If a euthanization decision is reached by the estate, then it will be the responsibility of the estate to make those arrangements elsewhere.

We appreciate your care and concern for Bela and all of the animals in Dearborn County.

So, what do you think?