Woman Upset That Newspaper Won't Run Obituary For Dog

A grieving woman in Orange County says her loved one is being discriminated against by a local newspaper. She says the West Orange Times decided not to run an obituary after they saw the picture.

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Kimberly DeWolf is so angry she is threatening to sue if Bailey is not given the proper farewell. She was preparing for a 13th birthday party next month.

"His birthday would've been August 18th. He's been the love of my life. My parents, their grandchild," she said.

But instead of a celebration, Kimberly was at a funeral service.

"He's actually buried at my parents house, has a gravesite," she said.

During a week off for bereavement, Kimberly wrote an obituary and wanted it placed in her local paper, the West Orange Times. But when editors saw the picture of Bailey, there was a problem in their eyes.

"He's not a dog, he's my child, he's never been a dog," Kimberly said. "They're discriminating against me because it's a dog in their eyes."

The West Orange Times has been in publication for 100 years, but other than a price change there is one thing that is in black and white, no dogs in the obits.

"If it's discriminating against her, it could be thought of as the same for a dog, for a cat, for a hamster and it's not a precedent we're going to set," said West Orange Times Owner Andrew Bailey,

DeWolf said she'd even pay for the obit, but for now, a casket and a gravestone will have to do.

Eyewitness News checked and found a handful of similar controversies have hit other newspapers. The Idaho Statesman in Boise ran a dog obit this year and there were dozens of letters to the editor from angry readers.