NYC Judge Rules Dogs are Family
Dogs! In the News! Monday, July 1, 2025 Edition
NYC Judge Rules Dogs are Family
Gothamist reports that “Pet dogs aren’t just property — they’re family, a Brooklyn judge ruled this week.
The decision centers on a dachshund named Duke, who was hit by a car and killed two years ago in Mill Basin on July 4. Justice Aaron Maslow ruled Duke’s connection with his human family was so deep that they should be eligible for a type of compensation previously limited to people who witness a human family member being injured or killed.
Legal experts say the decision could pave the way for more New Yorkers to seek compensation by claiming their pet dogs as family members, not just property, when they are hurt or killed.
‘The legal status of animals is currently undergoing a really important transformation, and this is part of a larger shift in how the law sees and treats animals,” said Christopher Berry, executive director of the Nonhuman Rights Project. “We’re moving from an outdated view of animals as mere things, to recognizing them as individuals who matter.’”
For more check out these links: Gothamist and Law & Crime.
New Dog Run Announced for Lower East Side
Following a community petition New York City District One City Council Member Christopher Marte secured funds to establish a new dog run at Rutgers Street near the corner of Henry Street.
Read more here from Our Town.
Dog Saved from the Hudson River
W42ST reports that “a tiny, shivering dog was pulled from the Hudson River by a group of kayakers near Pier 26. He was barely paddling, coated in oil, visibly exhausted — but alive. The rescue has been dubbed ‘a second Miracle on the Hudson’ by neighbors, a reference to the dramatic 2009 plane landing just a few miles north on the same river. This time, the survivor was a scrappy eight-month-old Chihuahua mix named Chili.”
Read more from W42ST here.
The Tail
The Tail is back!
Fun dog videos from the internet returns!
Someone’s hungry!
