It’s an unfortunate situation, but if you go through a breakup and have to work out legal details, don’t forget about your dog. The courts have yet to institutionalize the standard of “the best interest of the dog,” as they have for children.
If you wind up in the middle of a canine custody dispute, you’ll need to prove you’re the legal guardian–not the better caregiver–in order to win over your pet. That’s because pets are considered to be personal property, like a television or toaster.
Dogs are often the animals caught in the middle of a split-up. The rise in cases has to do, in part, with society’s changing attitude toward pets as family members. Divorcing couples, or those legally separating, must agree on the placement of their pets.
Pet custody cases involve married couples, domestic partners, or even roommates who are agreeably co-owners. In each of these cases, when the couple splits up, they need to figure out an arrangement for their dog. This often takes the form of establishing a visitation schedule or buying out the other person to become sole guardian.
Books that cover some practical and legal issues for dog owners include “Every Dog’s Legal Guide: A Must-have Book for Your Owner” and “We Can’t Stay Together for the Dogs: Doing What’s Best for Your Dog When Your Relationship Breaks Up.”
Proving legal guardianship involves showing that your name is on some or all or some of this paperwork:
- Adoption application or sales contract–If you didn’t save the paperwork, contact your breeder or the shelter for a copy. Also, dig through your files for a canceled check or credit card statement showing you paid the adoption fee or purchase price.
- Veterinary records–Obtain medical records from your veterinarian’s office. Show that you’re financially responsible for your dog’s ongoing care by producing cash receipts, credit card statements, and canceled checks.
- City licensing forms–Most cities and counties require that you license your dog annually. Ask for a copy from the department you went through to buy the license.
- Microchip documents–If your dog is implanted with an identification chip, call the manufacturer’s registry for the records.
In situations where ownership status is in question, it’s best to avoid going to court because a judge might not understand the strong connection you share with your dog. The ensuing emotional battle can provoke signs of stress in your dog, such as pacing, restlessness, and panting. These traits usually appear because of moving into a new home or losing a canine brother or sister to the estranged spouse. If your dog is really attached to one of its guardians, it’s going to be much more stressful for the dog to be separated from that parent.
To reduce your dog’s anxiety level during this time, as well as your own, consider a combination of daily distractions and increased exercise, such as going for more walks with your dog or enrolling him in an obedience class or doggie sport.
Canine custody disputes take an emotional toll on both two and four-legged family members. But, by working out a fair compromise before an unforeseen breakup, you’ll avoid a lot of heartache in the future.
Eeeew! Gross!
That’s the reaction of most people when my dog Al helps himself to water in the toilet bowl.
“He has a clean dish!” says the frustrated human who catches him in the act. “Why does he want to drink THAT?”
Considering what we do in there, it’s a little hard to believe that he does what he does. He thinks the toilet water is the freshest in the house, and it’s always cool, not to mention similar to the temperature of water that a dog would drink in the wild.
A dog drinking THAT water happens to be one of my pet peeves. So I was determined to find a product that could somehow help with this problem. And I did. It is a water bowl that filters itself constantly, like a fountain, so it’s continually fresh.
It also helps with dogs who don’t like to drink stagnant water. Like my friend’s Springer Spaniel. The dog simply wouldn’t drink enough water. They had to turn on a water faucet whenever he was thirsty!
For any of you who have this problem with your dog, check out the two outstanding Pet Fountains (bowls) featured on my website at Paw Persuasion’s Dog Supplies and Dog Bowls.
– Petmate Fresh Flow Purifying Pet Fountain
– Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain
No more dog behavior problems with the toilet water!
~Rena Murray of PawPersuasion.com
There are so many theories and so much conflicting advice about the various ways to train our dogs. It’s hard to know who to trust and what to believe.
Personally, here is what I consider to be crucial when training my own dogs:
- To build a strong owner-dog relationship based on trust and mutual respect.
- To have confidence and control of my dogs in any situation.
- To work with my dogs’ natural drives and instincts.
- Absolutely no cruel or harsh “old school” training techniques. I certainly don’t believe you have to “break a dog’s spirit” in the training process.
- Most important, to have happy, outgoing dogs that are properly socialized.
~Top dog training website containing tons of useful information.
With the economy still in a slump and jobs scarce, there are ways to save money and still love your four-legged friends. The Associated Press came up with some money saving tips, and I have a few of my own to share.
If you don’t have a pup, but really want one, a shelter canine is much cheaper than getting a purebred from a breeder. With so many people giving up their pets due to the economy, the chances of finding a purebred at the animal shelter are high. The cost for a purebred dog can cost between $800 and $2,000. Adopting a shelter dog can cost between $50 $250, and they come to you already spayed/neutered. Some rescues even cover costs if your dog comes down with an illness that they were vaccinated for.
When I rescued Daisy, she came down with kennel cough and the rescue covered the cost of treating it. Also, check with your county, because they may cover registration charges for the life of your pet.
Dog food is a monthly expense that must be included in your budget. My dogs were raised on an expensive brand of food, Science Diet. Despite the economic hardships that my husband and I faced, I made sure that my three dogs still ate quality food. Science Diet has representatives at Petsmart throughout the week, and are always happy to hand out coupons. We always bought Science Diet on sale. When things were really tough, we just bought a huge bag of cheaper food and mixed it with the Science Diet to make the premium dog food last longer.
We still want to provide our pups with lots of play and fun, so we want to shower them with toys and treats. My dogs will play with just about anything. An empty juice container will provide them with hours of fun. Daisy simply likes chasing after a tennis ball that cost under a dollar. As we all know, dogs LOVE treats. With three dogs, we can go through treats pretty fast, so what I did to save money was to take one milkbone and share it among the three instead of giving each dog their own.
Healthcare costs can also be quite expensive. Banfield Pet Hospitals, I have found, are the cheapest way to go for animal care. This said, all Banfields are different, where some are privately owned and they can be very expensive. Find a Banfield that is not privately owned, you pay a low monthly fee, and it covers all the canine vaccinations, yearly checkups, teeth cleaning, x-rays, and so on, depending on what plan you choose.
The cost of owning a pup doesn’t have to be expensive, and the unconditional love that dogs give us are worth the extra expense!
