Dog Custody

[Lilly]

I can hear it now - "Not only did she leave me but she took my dog man!"

Court: No Right to See Ex's Dog
Tue Jul 9, 7:49 AM ET

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - No matter how much some people treat their pets like children, the law doesn't allow a divorced couple to have joint custody of a dog, a state appeals court ruled.


Anthony DeSanctis worked out an agreement with Lynda Hurley Pritchard when they divorced in 2000 that dealt mostly with the future of Barney, a dog Pritchard had gotten from an animal shelter two months before the couple separated in 1996.

The agreement said the dog was Pritchard's, but set up an arrangement that allowed DeSanctis to visit him, according to court records.

In March of 2000, however, Pritchard moved from Chester County to Bucks County and no longer made Barney available for DeSanctis to visit.

In a decision released Friday, the Pennsylvania Superior Court agreed with the Chester County Court of Common Pleas that the law cannot treat the dog like a child.

"Despite the status owners bestow on their pets, Pennsylvania law considers dogs to be personal property," Justice Frank J. Montemuro wrote.

He said he agreed with the trial courts that DeSanctis was seeking a court order that is "analogous, in law, to a visitation schedule for a table or a lamp."

The court noted that DeSanctis still had a legal recourse: He could sue for breach of contract, but all he could get would be the dog's monetary value.

I find this a wee bit drastic for the pup only having been part of the "family" for 2 months prior to the breakup - but hey - must have been an awfully good dog!