New Jersey Court Orders Joint Custody Of a Pet Pug
A New Jersey Court has ruled that a couple, arguing over the custody of their pet pug, would be required to have joint custody.
Eric Dare and Doreen Houseman, who split up after a thirteen-year relationship, had been involved with a three-year court battle over their six year old dog, Dexter.
The case was sent back to the trial court, when the appellate panel ordered a new trial, The panel said that the dog was like a family heirloom, or a piece of fine art, and that the judge should retry the matter, giving weight to what Dexter meant to Houseman and Dare.
In Houseman v. Dare, FM, 08-667-07, the Trial Court then ruled that there would be alternating custody terms of five weeks for each of the parties.
In an interesting twist to the case, the Animal Legal Defense Fund of Cotati, Calif., had advocated for a best-interest-of-the-pet standard. However, the New Jersey Court declined to accept such a standard.
Another move forward in the field of pet law?
Sometimes, pets are being treated more like people than possessions.
Custody Dispute Over Pets in Divorce
I have previously written about cases involving the custody of pets and their owners undergoing divorce procedures.
A recent article in the Asheville Citizen-Times of North Carolina, reiterated that there would be more and more of these disputes being played out in the courtroom.
The issue of custody of a pet is not to be taken lightly as most pet owners treat their pets the same as, or in some circumstances, better than they would a child.
Many times in a divorce, the custody issue of children is resolved via a shared custody arrangement.
Kim Brophey is a pet behavior consultant in Asheville and addressed the issue of possible joint custody between owners,
“Change is not a dog's friend, going back and forth is not cool. Dogs like routine and predictability, and the whole back-and-forth thing is very stressful and can create a lot of behavior problems."
The bottom line is that, just like custody disputes for children, the best interest of the pet should be the controlling factor in the agreement of the parties or the decision of the court.
You can read the entire article by Barbara Blake here.
