Opinion ID: 1721462
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Intrinsic/Special Value of Dog to Owners.

Text: The Nichols contend that the district court erred in failing to award damages for the replacement cost or the pet's special value to them. We disagree. The measure of damages for injury to, or destruction of, an animal is the amount which will compensate the owner for the loss and thus return the owner, monetarily, to the status he or she was in before the loss. 4 Am.Jur.2d Animals § 162, at 504 (1964). In determining the measure of damages for injuries to a dog, factors include its market value, which may be based on purchase price, relatively long life of breed, its training, usefulness and desirable traits. Id. § 165, at 509. We have stated that the damage resulting from injury to an animal is the difference in value before and after the injury. Miller v. Economy Hog & Cattle Powder Co., 228 Iowa 626, 641, 293 N.W. 4, 11 (1940). There may be other elements of damage such as expense of treatment or temporary loss of use or of produce. But whether an animal is injured or destroyed the total damages ordinarily recoverable may not exceed its value prior thereto. Id.; see also Richardson v. Fairbanks North Star Borough, 705 P.2d 454, 456 (Alaska 1985) (dogs have legal status of personal property and courts generally limit damage award to the animal's value at the time of death); Soucek v. Banham, 524 N.W.2d 478, 481 (Minn.App.1995) (compensatory damages for death of a dog, as item of personal property, are limited to fair market value of animal); Daughen v. Fox, 372 Pa.Super. 405, 417, 539 A.2d 858, 864 (1988) (when property, a dog, has been destroyed, the measure of damages would be the value of the property prior to its destruction, and owner's sentimental attachment to dog does not make it unique chattel under the law). The Nichols note that we recognized the intrinsic value of trees in Bangert v. Osceola County, 456 N.W.2d 183, 190 (Iowa 1990), and contend that we should also recognize the intrinsic value of a pet dog. In Bangert plaintiffs brought an action against the county for the destruction of trees on their property. We noted that [c]ommercial market value as damages is appropriate when the trees have no special use and their only worth to their owner is their value as wood products. Id. However, we found that when the record showed the plaintiffs allowed the trees to stand for special purposes the district court should have considered the intrinsic value of the trees. Id. Bangert can be distinguished on several bases. First, Bangert, on its face, involves damages recoverable from the destruction of trees. Second, damages were awarded pursuant to Iowa Code section 658.4 (1995), which provides for treble damages for the willful injury of trees. There is no similar statute relating to injury to dogs, nor is there any claim that the injury to Yawbus was the result of a willful act. Third, in Bangert plaintiffs provided evidence that the trees had special purposes other than for commercial use. In addition to sentimental and historic reasons, the trees were maintained for shade and windbreaks, for environmental, wildlife, and special landmark purposes. Bangert, 456 N.W.2d at 190. The Nichols did not present evidence that Yawbus had a special purpose, or intrinsic value other than his value as a family pet. See 4 Am.Jur.2d Animals § 165, at 509 (it may be conceded that dogs have no intrinsic value if by that it is meant a value common to all dogs as such, independent of the particular breed or individual). Moreover, unlike the trees in the Bangert case, which were destroyed, there is no indication Yawbus's value as a family pet has even been diminished. We reject the Nichols' argument that the intrinsic value of a dog should be considered in awarding damages for injury to the dog. The Nichols still enjoy the companionship of their pet and there is no evidence of the dog's special purpose. The district court properly declined to award damages for the replacement cost or special value of the Nichols' dog.