Dogs in Divorce – person or property?

To a Montgomery county divorce lawyer, every family loves their dog; they are one of us.  The English language has our best friends written in lower case.  Now this makes people mad.  This includes my wife who has directed me to change ‘murphy’ to ‘Murphy” on my “About Me” page of this web site.  murph, you are my buddy but we can’t make you human.
 
In the eyes of the law, both property law and divorce law, the family mutt is property.  This raises interesting fact patterns for Montgomery county and Bucks county divorce attorneys.  The lawyers have to treat fido as part of the divorce property settlement agreement.  Interestingly though, Montgomery county judges have been know to allow for special exceptions in handling dog matters between divorcing couples.  I have negotiated “shared time’ concerning our furry friends.
 
You need a lawyer who is sensitive to these types of issues while planning your life forward through and after divorce.  Dogs in divorce are not custody issues; do you want to pay dog support?  Call us, Montgomery county and Bucks county divorce lawyers to determine what is right for you in the context of a divorce.  We handle support and custody matters as to the children as well.  😉     215-822-2728  schroeder@jrlaw.org