RIP, Jagger, But Dogs Can't Be "Murdered"

An awful person poisoned "Jagger," a prize-wining Irish Setter. The killing wasa terrible cruelty and a serious crime of animal abuse. I hope the criminal is caught and suitably punished.

But it wasn't "murder." Only human beings can be murdered, which is defined as an illegal homicide with malice aforethought.

Yet, the international media are all over this story, frequentlycalling Jagger's killing a "murder." The Us story is just one example:

A canine competing in the Crufts Dog Show in Birmi...