Pet custody a big issue for many in break-ups – survey

Separating couples may debate over the fate of vehicles, boats in addition to household slice of furniture when they split, exactly position unit of measurement pets are probable to exercise fifty-fifty bigger headaches, Australian inquiry shows.

Nearly ane inwards 5 Australians believe custody of the position unit of measurement pet would hold upwards a large number at separation in addition to ane inwards 12 stimulate got truly lost a pet inwards a human relationship breakdown, the inquiry reveals.

Australian-based consumer constabulary theater Slater & Gordon commissioned an independent survey of to a greater extent than than K Australian adults for the research.

The survey flora that many respondents wrongly believed the Family Court would brand shared custody arrangements for pets.

Senior Slater & Gordon position unit of measurement lawyer Heather McKinnon said the fate of the position unit of measurement pet was increasingly becoming a sticking dot during negotiations after human relationship breakdowns.

“We are increasingly seeing pets beingness raised every bit an number inwards separation in addition to this is reflected inwards our inquiry which indicates nearly ane inwards 10 Australians stimulate got lost possession of a pet inwards a human relationship breakdown,” McKinnon said.

Pets ranked behind existent estate in addition to coin exactly ahead of vehicles, boats in addition to household slice of furniture when survey respondents were asked to rank which jointly owned assets would hold upwards nearly hard to separate next a separation.

“People oft experience that pets are similar children, exactly to a courtroom they are to a greater extent than oft than non treated every bit property,” McKinnon says.

Key findings of the survey include:

• Eight percentage of respondents had lost a pet inwards a separation.
• Those who had given upwards possession of a pet tended to hold upwards males, middle-income earners in addition to those alongside subject children.
• Eighteen percentage of respondents inwards a human relationship alongside a shared pet believed at that topographic point would hold upwards a dispute over who kept the pet inwards the lawsuit of a separation (76 percentage said it would non hold upwards an number in addition to 8 percentage were unsure).

The survey too flora eighteen percentage mistakenly believed the Family Court would brand shared custody arrangements for their pets, alongside solely 34 percentage correctly identifying that the courtroom does non to a greater extent than oft than non brand these types of arrangements.

McKinnon said the results showed that people did non realise the courtroom to a greater extent than oft than non treated pets differently to children or other dependants.

“That agency the courtroom doesn’t dictate visiting rights or define who is entitled to brand medical decisions on behalf of a detail pet,” she said.

“Our advice is that mediation is the best position to function through these issues. Mediation is less formal than a courtroom hearing in addition to gives people a existent chance to amicably come upwards to an organisation they are both happy with.”

Of the survey respondents, 57 percentage were inwards a live-in human relationship alongside their partner in addition to 61 percentage of those respondents jointly owned a pet alongside their partner.

 

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