Dog Custody Now Being Handled Through “Petnups”
With around 50% of marriages ending in divorce, prenuptial agreements are becoming more and more common. Rarely thought do the agreements include decisions about what happens to the family pets. That’s now changing, though. Enter “petnups”. These pet-nuptial agreements state clearly what happens with the pets if things go awry in your relationship. It’s similar to agreements made regarding children, but keeps pet issues out of courtroom dispute.
Now, I’ve been divorced twice and both times pets were involved. When I met my first husband, he had a snippy Chihuahua/Jack Russel mix named Biggie. Biggie did not like me at first, but he quickly realized I was the person that was going to spoil him. The dog became my shadow and after a few months, was “my” dog. When I left my first husband, I didn’t take any money. I gave him the house and everything. I took only the furniture I went into the marriage with. My only regret is leaving Biggie. My thought process was that the dog WAS his first, and that you can’t take a man’s dog. Broke my heart.
During my second marriage, my now ex purchased a Jack Russell puppy for me. Gypsy became my baby, so there was no question who the dog would go with when we divorced. Maxwell was a Beagle/Jack that I rescued when he was about two years old. Originally, I rescued the dog for my now ex, because he wanted a bigger dog. When we decided to split, he said he was taking Maxwell with him. I said NOPE, and that was that. I took both dogs. I’ll put up with a lot but no one’s taking my babies!
I can totally understand why a “petnup” would be needed. It’s not a bad idea.
For anyone who heard me on @BBCRadioStoke this morning talking about #petnups here's the link to our website, including a template agreement to help start the conversation: https://t.co/YcPg2PROsS
— Jen Curtis (@FamilylawJen) October 24, 2019
