Canine Loss Spurs New Law.

• Position: Brief Article

He called it the T-Bo bill, and it became the T-Bo Act. Senator Steve Cohen of Tennessee experienced the full grief of a bereft pet owner when his little Shih Tzu, T-Bo, was killed in his own yard last August by a larger, aggressive dog that was running at large.

After three days of frantic trips to the night emergency clinic and veterinarian, Cohen lost his fuzzy little friend. "Before he died, I realized how much grief a pet owner can experience over the loss of a beloved pet," the senator says. "We were driving and happened to find a little boy who identified the dog that killed T-Bo. The boy said, 'Oh, that's Tasha. She's mean; she's attacked me.' I was real surprised because it was a distance from our house."

Cohen talked to the owners of the dog and recovered the cost of the vet bills, "But it was then I realized that the law didn't deal with loss of affection and companionship. Dogs, cats, pets were treated as any inanimate, personal...