You know the story, two people get married, they adopt a pet, then they move on, they split up, but who takes custody of the pet?

There were so many fur baby custody battles during the divorce negotiations that it has led to an increase in pet nups in some states.

So what is a “pet-nup”? Well, it’s not much different from your typical prenuptial agreement that some couples enter into before they get married. It would detail who will have official custody of the pet in the event the couple split up.

Connecticut has no “pet nup” laws, according to newstimes.com. When this type of dispute arises in a divorce proceeding, the state regards the pet or pets as personal property, so it is the judge’s decision as to who would take care of the animal or animals.

Usually, the pet or pets go to whoever, in the judge’s judgment, is the one who has the best interest in the pet, has raised the most money for the pet, and who actually cares the most about the pet. This is very similar to custody cases, where the judge decides which partner is best for custody, but it can get a little tricky during divorce negotiations.

As a result, some couples are now actually entering into these pet-n-up agreements before getting married to avoid litigation and the increased cost of going back and forth over who has custody of the pet or pets.

A new survey that just came out of 2,000 pet owners and over 100 lawyers found that divorce lawyers have spent an average of 25 hours of billable time over the past few years just looking at who will get custody of the pet or the lawsuits on custody of pets have increased dramatically.

Basically, you’re still on your own in Connecticut, but New York is the newest state to propose laws to make the pet an actual part of the family, making it easier for judges to decide who has custody the pet or pet receives.

Lawyers now advise to make an official agreement, a “pet-nup”, when purchasing a pet, so that there is no gray area if the couple should end up in the divorce court.

With pet owners sacrificing so much time and money on their fur babies, it’s no wonder they want a little extra security and protection in the event a relationship turns sour. After all, dogs and cats are our best friends.

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