Legal authorities in Spain have untangled a complicated issue many divorcing couples face: Who gets the family pet?
While child custody arrangements between estranged parents in this country are commonplace — although often sometimes stressful — pets are caught in the middle.
In the U.S., our furry, scaly, fishy and feathery family members are considered property, but Spain has become the latest to instead consider pets “living, sentient beings,” and as such their welfare must now be taken into account if a marriage goes south.
According to France’s AFP press agency, the new ruling amends Spain’s existing civil code, and mandates that a divorcing couple must “guarantee” a pet’s well-being — and that means any partner who has a history of cruelty to animals could get shut out of any custody arrangement.