Because pets are family — and they deserve better than to be treated like possessions under the law.
🐶 It’s Time the Law Caught Up with Reality: Pets Are Not Property
If you’re reading this, you probably already know: animals aren’t objects.
They’re not appliances or furniture or things to be replaced.
They’re sentient beings — full of love, fear, loyalty, and trust.
When a beloved pet is harmed due to negligence or mistreatment, the impact isn’t just financial. It’s emotional. It’s devastating. And yet, under current UK law, animals are legally classed as property — no different than your sofa or your shoes.
That outdated legal definition doesn’t just feel wrong. It has real and painful consequences.
If you’ve ever loved a pet, you know: They’re not just animals. They’re part of the family. They are comfort during crisis, joy on four legs, and love in its purest form.
And when something goes wrong — when they’re failed by a system meant to protect them — the law shrugs. Because property doesn’t feel. Property doesn’t suffer. Property doesn’t matter.
But Coco does. Your pet does. Every pet does.
🛑 Why This Legal Classification of Pets As Property Matters
When something goes wrong — when there’s negligence, when a pet suffers — the legal system treats that harm as “damage to property.”
That means:
- ⚠️ The animal’s pain is invisible in the eyes of the law
- ⚠️ The family’s emotional devastation goes unrecognised
- ⚠️ Compensation is based on market value, not on lived experience or loss
The result? Families are left grieving, with no justice for what really happened.
And pets — sentient, suffering beings — are treated like broken things.
🐕🐕 What We’re Fighting For
The law must reflect reality.
We’re calling on UK lawmakers and regulators to:
✅ Reclassify pets as sentient beings, not property
✅ Recognise emotional harm in legal claims when a pet is harmed by negligence
✅ Acknowledge the human–animal bond as morally and legally significant
🌍 The World Is Moving Forward. The UK Is Falling Behind.
Other countries are already recognising animals as more than property:
- 🇫🇷 France: Pets legally recognised as sentient beings
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland: Animals are protected as living beings with dignity
- 🇪🇸 Spain: Pets legally recognised as family
- 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇵🇹 Portugal: Animal sentience enshrined in law
The UK calls itself a nation of animal lovers. It’s time our laws proved it.
🐾 Coco’s Story: A Reminder of What’s at Stake
Coco is a small dog with a huge heart.
He nearly slipped through the cracks of a system that saw him as replaceable.
But he wasn’t. He fought to live. And now we’re fighting for others like him.
His story is just one of many — countless pets have suffered while the law turned away.
Not because they didn’t matter. But because, legally, they didn’t count.
This has to change.
📢 Take Action — Help Us End the Property Label
✅ Sign the UK Parliament Petition launched by Cooper & Co Solicitors calling for animals to be legally recognised as sentient beings and not property.
👉 Sign the Petition
✅ Sign and share Coco’s Change.org campaign
👉 Support Coco’s Campaign Here
✅ Share this page
The more people who understand the problem, the louder we get — and one voice can become many.
One voice may be quiet. But many voices can roar.
Coco may be small. But this fight is big.
And he’s not barking alone.
✨ Want Something Lighter?
We get it — this is heavy stuff. If you’d like to meet Coco in a slightly sassier setting…
👉 [Read: Coco vs Furniture – A Very Serious Legal Debate]
❤️ It’s Time for the Law to Catch Up
Pets are more than property. They are comfort during crisis. They are joy in fur and paws.
They are family. And they deserve to be treated as such — in life, in care, and under the law.
This is about more than one dog. It’s about all of them.
Let’s make sure every pet is seen, valued, and protected — not just loved, but recognised.
Coco’s journey is just the beginning.
Together, we can rewrite the rules — for good.