Swank Pets Dog Blog

An ever increasing rise in dog custody battles have been coming about in the United States. When couples divorce, there is often a dispute over who gets custody of the dog.

In the past, couples have been involved in ‘calling contests’ where the two arguing defendants stand on opposite sides of the court and call to their dog. Whoever the dog comes to gets custody. When I first read this, I thought it was hilarious and sad in a way. However after taking more thought, this is probably a larger issue than people can imagine.

First, think about the bond a couple builds with their family dog. Iin some cases, the dog is like another family member. A son or a daughter. In my case, they’re our babies! This almost becomes a child custody battle. In some cases, the court decides to have joint custody where the dog splits their time between households. However some argue that this could cause distress and separation anxiety in some dogs deeming it cruel.

So to solve this problem, courts are starting to bring in veterinarians to settle the case. A vet will interview both owners to get a better idea of who the dog has a stronger bond with. The vet will also determine which owner essentially does more to take care of the dog such as feeding, walking, bathing etc. After interviewing both owners, the vet will review the facts and settle on a decision. If the vet feels that the dog can handle joint custody without suffering mental complications, then of course this would be the best solution for both owners.

Sad to say, this is probably an ever growing issue as the divorce rate amongst Americans is ever increasing. Its just too bad that poor Fido and the kids have to get caught in the middle of these messes. I think pretty soon we’ll start seeing more and more dogs going to dog psychologist to deal with this separation anxiety. <—–This was meant to be a joke, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see how many dog psychologists actually exist.