They sacrificed a healthy dog ​​to bury it with its owner

A Shih Tzu dog was sacrificed and cremated because his owner had asked him in his will to be buried with her.

It arrived in Virginia, United States, where the

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, named Emma, ​​lost her life on March 22 after workers at a pet shelter failed to persuade the woman's relatives to ignore her will.

"We have suggested repeatedly that the dog could give it, that we could have easily found a home," said Carrie Jones, shelter manager for Chesterfield Animal Services.

The news generated intense debate in the Nordic country. Kenny Lucas, a local veterinarian, said his clinic would never agree to euthanize an animal just to be buried with its owner, while Larry Spiaggi, president of the Association of Directors of Virginia, considered this practice "aberrant".

With AP information