If you and your spouse have pets, you are like most families in America. Dogs and cats are the most common type of pets that people have and, especially when it comes to dogs humans tend to develop very strong ties to these animals. When you are faced with a divorce that means you could also be faced with the prospect of losing your beloved pet. Just how is pet custody handled in a divorce?
As explained by Forbes, in most divorce proceedings a dog is treated like any other asset or piece of property. When making the decision about where the dog will live after a marital split, a few things can and should come into play. One factor to consider is what is truly in the best interest of the dog. If one person works long hours and maybe even travels frequently for work while the other has a more steady routine and is home more of the time, that may well direct your decision.
Apart from time able to be spent with a pet, consideration should be given to any children you may have and where they will be most of the time as it may be important for the kids to be with their dog as much as possible. Apart from that, the ability to show who truly cares for the pet the majority of the time may be the final factor that swings a decision one way or the other.
If you would like to learn more about the different things that may be considered as property during a divorce settlement agreement, please feel free to visit the asset and debt agreement page of our Pennsylvania family law and divorce website.