Navigating Pet Custody and Children During and After Divorce
Navigating Pet Custody and Children During and After Divorce.
Divorce involving children is never easy, but when you add a beloved dog or cat into the picture, things become even more complex and emotional for everyone involved. As divorce professionals, you play a crucial role in helping families navigate these decisions with care and foresight. This article provides guidelines to help your clients address the question of "who keeps the dog (or cat)?" in a way that minimizes conflict in both the short and long term, while maintaining realistic expectations about the feasibility of custody plans and prioritizing the wellbeing of the animals.
Is Shared Custody Working for Your Dog? Signs to Watch For
Is Shared Custody Working for Your Dog? Signs to Watch For:
When a relationship ends, deciding what's best for your dog can feel overwhelming. Many separating couples choose to try shared custody, hoping to maintain their bond with their beloved pet while ensuring the dog stays connected to both people. It's a decision made with love and good intentions.
But how do you know if the arrangement is actually working for your dog?
Navigating Pet Custody After a Breakup: 5Tips for a Peaceful Resolution
"Help! My partner and I have split up, and I'm so worried about our dog. What do we do?"
It's understandable that this is a difficult question to even ask, and a challenging conversation to start, especially given how much you both care about your dog. To help facilitate a resolution that is in the best interest of your beloved pet, I've outlined these five tips to keep the process of discussing pet custody peaceful and productive:
Who keeps the dog after a breakup?
Approaching Divorce and Pet Custody from a dog’s perspective.
You and your partner have decided to separate. And you have a dog. How should you decide who keeps the dog when you breakup?
There are several ways you can look at this question; you can look at who the legal and rightful owner of the dog is, i.e. which one of you paid for her, or adopted him, whose name is on all the paperwork at the vet, the daycare, or on the pet insurance.
How does your dog feel about divorce?
Dogs have no idea what divorce is, but they do know when you are tense, angry or worried. The most useful questions to ask are: how is my dog responding to my stress? How can I best help my dog if I am feeling anxious or angry? What are the signs to look for to know if my dog is okay?
The sad truth about guilty dogs
The sad truth about guilty dogs. During our time in lock-down it seemed like everyone was busier online. The sharing of hilarious animal videos is even more frequent, but some of them are not as funny as they seem.
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Every Dog may have his day - but not in court!
Read this article written by Michelle Strauss - Family Practice Attorney and Mediator - Arkansas, USA.
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Who gets the dog in Australia after a separation?
This is the question we put to Jane Libbis Partner at Umbrella Family Law and if you live in Australia, here’s how the law currently stands.
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Family Matters: Who gets the pets in the case of divorce?
Radio interview with Pippa Hudson
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New York law
The laws in New York are set to change when it comes to pets and divorce. I was thrilled to be featured in this article from the Associated Press about the new bill pending in New York that would allow judges to look at pets, not as property in divorce proceedings, but to consider their individual needs as well.
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Why do pets matter? Podcast
Debra Hamilton and I discuss the three most common pitfalls that people fall into with pets and divorce; Humanizing, Weaponizing and Bargaining. Without even realizing it, most couples fall into one of these three categories. Here we discuss these realities, how to recognize them and change the focus of the pet custody discussion to do what is best for the animals involved.
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In this interview, I discuss the basics of Pet Custody. How to approach the subject of custody with regards to children, shared custody, mediation and how to determine what is best for the dogs.
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Karis Nafte – The Pet Custody Consultant on ”Why Do Pets Matter?” with Debra Hamilton Podcast #148
Divorce is often confusing, frustrating, and acrimonious. It’s hard to figure out how to move forward when you never planned for life without your spouse. Too often divorcing couples weaponize pet custody. Unfortunately, they don’t realize that their pets don’t hate their ex and forget to consider what kind of custody situation would be in the best interest of their animals.
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Radio interview with Heart FM Cape Town