I am watching the sunset and there’s an ex-couple who works together and has shared custody of their dogs. I can’t think of any broken-up couples I know who do this, so I’m interested in whether this is widespread.
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I used to carry pets for rescue organizations and would meet at a convenience store to switch critters with another volunteer. We’d hug each other, pass carriers and leashes back and forth, hug again, and then head in opposite directions.
One day, she was delayed in traffic, so I walked into the store to use the restroom before purchasing a snack and drink. As I was checking out, the clerk asked if everything was okay, and I mentioned the traffic and hoped they didn’t mind me parking on the edge of their lot while I waited for a friend.
The clerk assured me that everything was great and that we were their favorite divorcees because we were always so pleasant to each other while transferring creatures back and forth.
Our midway point appeared to be the halfway point for other people who shared custody of their pets and/or children, so the clerks recognized the “regulars”.
The point of this long anecdote is that, yes, shared pet custody is widespread enough that c-store clerks witnessed it frequently ten years ago. I can’t imagine it would be any different today.
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Wow, that is wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing; it warms my heart to know that even when people break up, they will not put their ex to a life without access to a pet they both like
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I now do that. We have a cat Joey and a dog Cyrus, and we share custody, however Cyrus is highly devoted to her and vice versa.
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I did. I even moved 6 hours away to attend school, and I drove back every three weeks to switch custody. If we got along and communicated well when we were together, we’d probably still be together.
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I know someone who shares a dog with their ex
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I would never… there is too much that can go wrong here
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@TailWaggerTara I have never heard of ex-partners sharing animals before, but I could see it happening. If both people in the relationship put a lot of commitment, care, and love into their animals, which are virtually like family members to them, it doesn’t seem too horrible to have divided custody of the pet when the relationship ends, if both people are It’s nice that no one is attempting to separate the animals permanently in such a predicament. a predicament.
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No way would I ever do this. Throughout my relationship with my ex, I did everything for the cats; he never came to a vet visit, fed them, scooped their litterboxes, filled their water, or did anything other than pet them, even though he claimed to love our female cat. They’re also all registered in my name solely, for the reasons stated above, so if we ever split up (which happened), he couldn’t legally take any of them with him.
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Obviously, infirmities vary, but putting cats in and out of a harness four or more times per day would be more physically demanding than litterbox maintenance for me.
IME cats who enjoy being outside will prefer a catio with access and an appealing surface, such as leaves, mud, or sand. In some climes, I am sure that would still require upkeep, but we have enough rain in my location that it does not accumulate or smell.
My existing cats are startlingly hesitant to utilize a cat door and will run when the front door is open for no apparent reason, so I assume I should start them young?
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