Dogs are more than property

For many years the courts throughout the country would use basic division of property laws and principles to divide household pets in divorce. One party is determined to get the pet and the other does not.

However, these laws are changing. As more people have fewer or no children, and more people have household pets, courts and legislators throughout the country are starting to realize the importance of pets to most people: The pet feels much like a child to many pet owners, and the laws are trending in the direction of a custody and visitation approach for pets rather than a traditional property-division approach.