Split Custody of Dog Ordered in Maryland Divorce Case
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This subject always fascinates me, but not for the reasons you may think. What surprises me is that so many non-dog people think we are crazy to fight for our furry friends when a relationship goes south. I do struggle with the following: there could emerge a sort of standard 50/50 arrangement that judges use by default – especially in certain states. But say you enter a marriage with a dog you’ve had for years, and that marriage fails after only a couple of years. A 50/50 split would not seem fair.
Also keep in mind that if we men are dogs, (as is often claimed on the cover of Cosmo) we may have an unfair advantage in court. 
It’s an interesting conundrum! It seems like it will only get more interesting and muddied as more and more people seem to be splitting up rather than staying together. I can’t imagine splitting up with my husband, but if I did, you can bet that I’d fight like crazy for the dogs, and I’m betting he would, too!
I hope that never happens with us! I’d fight tooth and paw to keep the boys!
Sam
My mom would give up everything… but no me!
Happy saturday!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza
I’ve been single so long that I’ve never thought of splitting up with someone and losing my dogs. Maybe I’ll have to think about the making the guy sign a prenup if I ever got married saying I’d get the dogs if we broke up! There’s just no way I’d be willing to let my boys go without a fight!
I agree with Sprinkles Mom, Just no way I would let anyone take away my pup!
You have a Pawsome Weekend!
woo woos, Tessa
Did you ever read the Waiter Rant blog? Maybe not, but it’s a popular blog and has been going for years. He has joint custody of a doggie with his ex. Seems to work OK. I doubt if a judge would insist on joint custody if the dog totally belonged to one person prior to the marriage, at least in m ost cases. I think in the case of Waiter Rant they might have agreed to it between the two of them.
wags, Lola
I believe that, much like with children, if you enter into a marriage with a dog already belonging to you, you would exit the relationship with sole responsibility and ownership of the dog. Much like you would if you already had children from a previous relationship, you would exit the relationship with the children. Your new relationship would have little to no claim in the event of a split since you entered into the relationship with the dog (or kids).
Wow I haven’t figured out yer new format yet but it looks great…..Gram would never give up me, The Dewster, if things didn’t work out with ‘er ‘n Pap….no siree…..she’d be dog-nappin’ me fer sure….
Dewey Dewster here….
This is interesting..makes me wanna go check if there’s a similar ruling here in our country where people’s affinity for dogs are on opposing ends ( on one far end are people who love their dogs like babies; and on the other end, are people who love dogs..for food that is). Its not an everyday phenomena for couples to fight for dog custory here. Nonetheless, I’m horrified to even imagine that I will have to share my dogs with an Ex.
oopps, that wasnt supposed to be smiley at the end of my comment. LOL
This is an interesting and complex problem that probably many couples face each year, if it becomes a bigger issue then I would think they are going to need laws soon to cover it.