It's the latest rage - a Pup Nup - a prenuptial agreement with our soon-to-be spouse that governs who gets the pets if something happens to the marriage. Sound crazy? Not at all! It's your best defense against a legal battle with your now, soon-to-be-ex if your marriage becomes a statistic. Don't forget, 50% of all marriages don't survive. You might not have kids, but what about the pets?
When my first husband and I divorced we had a dog and two cats. I got the dog and one of the cats. He kept the other cat and I got visitation rights. My current husband and I have 3 horses, 7 dogs and 2 cats. That would be a disaster if anything happened to our marriage.
I know one lady who spent her retirement savings fighting her ex over visitation of their dog. They couldn't agree who would keep the dog and the other wanted rights to visit. Rather than "switching kids" at the local McDonalds or Burger King, they swapped at their vet's office. This was fine until one day when the vet techs reported he let the dog out of the trunk of the car!
And you don't have to be married to have a pet custody dispute. Unmarried couples often adopt pets or buy each other a pet as a gift. Then, when the relationship ends, there's no clear answer to who keeps the pet. When two friends of mine split, she wanted the dog because she bought it (for him) and he wanted the dog because it was his gift. Today, he has the dog and she visits. He did buy her another dog, but as you pet lover's know, it didn't diminish the love she had for the first - so now there's a new dog to love.
A Pup Nup could avoid all this legal wrangling when relationships go bad. Planning ahead for how pets and property are going to be divided is well advised. For more information, don't hesitate to call
The Law Offices of Hoyt & Bryan, and ask for Peggy Hoyt. 407-977-8080.
‘Pup-Nups’ Help Solve Pet Custody Disputes « CBS Pittsburgh
