MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin legislators have introduced a bill that outlines how divorcing couples and the courts should handle custody battles over pets.
The bill would let couples specify, among other things, visitation rights and the right to move the animal out of state. If the feuding couple can't agree on what to do with the pet, the solution is simple: A judge can either pick a spouse -- or ship it off to a local humane society or shelter.
Whoever gets there first owns the dog, cat or even goldfish. If they wait too long, someone else could adopt their beloved animal or, depending on the shelter's policies, it could be euthanized.
"Traditionally, the courts treat pets like pieces of property," said Republican state Sen. Carol Roessler, co-author of the bill. "People might have an emotional tie to a family antique. But a dog is not a desk."
The bill, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, has tongues wagging at the state capitol. On the one hand, families are increasingly treating their furry friends as pampered children: Americans are expected to lavish $40.8 billion on their pets this year, with only $9.8 billion of that spent on veterinarian care, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association. More MagazineLane.com
The bill would let couples specify, among other things, visitation rights and the right to move the animal out of state. If the feuding couple can't agree on what to do with the pet, the solution is simple: A judge can either pick a spouse -- or ship it off to a local humane society or shelter.
Whoever gets there first owns the dog, cat or even goldfish. If they wait too long, someone else could adopt their beloved animal or, depending on the shelter's policies, it could be euthanized.
"Traditionally, the courts treat pets like pieces of property," said Republican state Sen. Carol Roessler, co-author of the bill. "People might have an emotional tie to a family antique. But a dog is not a desk."
The bill, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, has tongues wagging at the state capitol. On the one hand, families are increasingly treating their furry friends as pampered children: Americans are expected to lavish $40.8 billion on their pets this year, with only $9.8 billion of that spent on veterinarian care, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association. More MagazineLane.com
