This bill aims to prevent the enforcement of any provisions in a decedent's will that mandate the euthanasia of a healthy domestic companion animal. It establishes that such directives are against public policy, rendering them void and unenforceable. The legislation was inspired by a specific incident in Virginia where a healthy dog was euthanized according to the wishes of its deceased owner, despite offers from an animal shelter to adopt the pet.
The bill also provides definitions for key terms, including "fiduciary," which encompasses various roles such as executors and guardians, and "domestic companion animal," which refers to pets acquired primarily for companionship rather than for business or agricultural purposes. By clarifying these definitions, the bill seeks to protect the welfare of healthy pets and ensure that their lives are not ended based on the stipulations of a will.