Separating couples should ‘paws for thought’ before fighting over pets, charity pleads

While the law sees pets as little more than a ‘chattel’ – meaning an owned item such as a car or piece of jewellery – many owners see them as an extension of the family, meaning they are understandably reluctant to cut ties once a relationship breaks down.

Sarah Hawkins, CEO of NFM, comments: “Pets are very much considered a part of the family, and so it’s understandable that they are also a real bone of contention for couples in conflict.

“At NFM we deal with dozens of pet disputes monthly, as more families have included a pet in their household in recent years. In fact, over the last year pets have featured in 43 per cent of mediation matters.

“However, the harsh reality is that the law views pets as assets, or possessions, which means that it will allocate an ‘owner’. That means that couples who take their fight over who gets the dog, cat, rabbit or snake to the courts following a breakup may find themselves heartbroken by the outcome.”

According to Statista over 57 per cent of households in the UK own a pet in 2023.

Sarah adds: “So many people now own pets, so it’s not surprising that we are seeing an increase in couples who are conflicted over what to do with them once they go their separate ways.

“Court may not provide the answers that many people expect, and we would urge couples to consider alternative dispute resolution methods wherever possible.

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