The Economic Value of Companion Animals: A Legal and Anthropological Argument for Special Valuation (pdf file - 85.84 KB)

The special nature of companion animals can be assigned a monetary worth in the form of an animal’s “special value” to the owner distinct from a market value. A legal analysis of the remedy of wrongful death, a sociological analysis of comparable treatment of infants, and an anthropological analysis of the role of domesticated animals all contribute toward constructing criteria for that valuation.