Legal vs. Right: Why Ethics Matter Just as Much as the Law
The law is the foundation of a civilized society. It provides structure, rules, and processes to resolve conflict and protect individual rights. But what happens when the law becomes a shield for morally questionable behavior? When the right thing to do is not what the law requires, but what our conscience demands?
That question is at the heart of many high-profile cases involving animal welfare, social justice, and human relationships. It is also central to the story of Sushi, a beloved emotional support dog who was wrongfully surrendered while his owner, Liz, was unconscious in the ICU. Despite Liz's documented efforts to retrieve him, Sushi was adopted out by a rescue that continues to hide behind legal language instead of confronting what is ethically right.
The Limits of the Law
In Sushi's case, the rescue has said, "He was legally adopted. There's nothing we can do." But legality is not the same as morality. The law treats pets as property, which means the loss of a dog is often weighed the same as the loss of a lost phone or bike. Yet, anyone who has ever loved a pet knows the emotional bonds are deep, profound, and healing.
The law can lag behind our evolving understanding of those emotional bonds. In fact, a recent ruling in New York acknowledged—for the first time—that pets can be considered "immediate family" in specific legal contexts. This shift points to a broader cultural truth: that ethics and empathy must guide how we treat the beings who share our lives.
What Ethics Demand
Ethics ask harder questions. Is it just to keep a dog from its rightful owner, even when you have the paperwork that says you can? Is it compassionate to mock and dismiss someone who is grieving the loss of their support animal? Is it morally sound to ignore someone's pain simply because the law says you can?
Doing the right thing isn't always legally required, but it is always ethically necessary. Liz is not asking for damages, money, or revenge. She is asking for the return of her dog—a dog she has raised, loved, and relied on during one of the most difficult chapters of her life.
Why Ethics Must Guide Institutions
Organizations—especially those in the business of care, rescue, and healing—have a higher ethical obligation. A rescue that claims to protect animals must also protect the integrity of the human-animal bond. When that bond is disrupted due to deception, misunderstanding, or outright wrongdoing, ethics—not just law—should light the path forward.
When rescues, shelters, or any institution default to "there's nothing we can do" instead of exploring what they should do, they risk losing public trust. More importantly, they fail the very animals and families they claim to serve.
A Call to Integrity
Legal systems are changing. Courts are slowly beginning to recognize what our hearts have always known: that animals are not things, and their relationships with humans matter. But the law doesn’t have to change for people to choose compassion.
Ethics matter because they speak to our humanity. They remind us that the right path is often the harder one—but it's the one that builds a kinder, more just world.
To those who say, "There’s nothing we can do," we say: There is always something you can choose to do.