How California Family Law Decides the Case of Pet Custody in a Divorce
Up until 2019, California family courts treated pets more or less as “properties” when deciding on the issue of their custody in a divorce proceeding. The judge would attempt to identify the person who paid for the pet’s purchase or adoption fee, and in most cases, would rule the judgment in their favor. Little to no consideration was given to the wellbeing of the pets. In other cases, the divorcing parties would be encouraged to reach an agreement on visitation on their own, which would do very little for the resolution of the contested issue. Spouses would fight for the pets out of spite rather than love, and once again it would be the pets who’d suffer. Thankfully, though, that changed after Assembly Bill 2274 went into effect on January 1, 2019. What the Assembly Bill 2274 Says Sponsored by dog owner and state Assembly member, Bill Quirk, the Assembly Bill 2274 treats pets as part of the family and directs California family courts to consider pets’ b...