In many ways, life at their rural Washington County home revolved around the dogs. They had a great life. They had a pond to swim in, they had all their neighborhood dogs that they would play with, we even had special furniture in our house that no one else was allowed to sit on, because it was for the dogs. The Brock case is part of an ongoing trend toward placing more value on the relationship between people and pets. Today's courts are gradually being forced to answer that question.
Some legal scholars herald the change in attitude and law as progress long overdue.
Towards Legal Rights for Animals . Courts are supposed to compensate people for the actual damage they suffer. Most people who have companion animals consider them part of the family, even children. When that animal is killed or injured, these people suffer real emotional damage. They don't care about the loss of whatever negligible economic value the animal might have had.