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It is estimated that roughly, 63% of American households have pets. These couples or families see their pets as their friend, their family, or even as a surrogate child. But, has anybody thought about what happens to Rover if a couple divorces?

In the eyes of the law, pets have traditionally been considered to be property – like anything else in a household that needs to get divided up.  Over the past several years, some courts around the country have, at least in part, given some credence to the idea of “the best interests of the pet” – dog, cat, etc.  There have been some joint custody awards, a visitation schedule set for the “visiting” parent and even awards of “doggie support”.

The moral of the story then, is if John and Jane Doe decide to divorce, in addition to determining what is a fair distribution of assets/liabilities, spousal support, custody of children, parenting time and child support, John and Jane may want to consider taking Fido’s or Whiskers’ interests into account as well.