Court considers how much a dog is worth

Georgia's Supreme Court tackles an unusual question Tuesday: What's the value of a dog?

Bob and Elizabeth Monyak's 8-year-old dachshund, Lola, died of kidney failure in 2013. The family accuses the Barking Hound Village kennel in the Atlanta area of giving the dog the wrong medicine, which ultimately killed Lola.

Officials at the kennel deny they did anything wrong. But they also argue that pets are property, and because the Monyaks paid nothing for Lola when they rescued her from a shelter, the dog essentially had no value, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The Monyaks say it's pretty clear their dog wasn't worthless. They say they paid nearly $70,000 in an effort to save Lola's life, including costly dialysis and other veterinary bills, and they're hoping to recover that amount.

Speaking to the newspaper, Elizabeth Monyak said the kennel was trying to argue that "a dog is like a toaster... when you break it, you throw it away and get a new one." She went on to say, "A dog is indeed property under the law, but it’s a different kind of property."

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