Who owns your dog after a break-up? This is why you need to get a pet prenup - according to experts

• Couples who own pets are being urged to look at formal agreements about what happens to their pet if they break up.
• Called pet prenups, they will help determine what happens to your pet.
• Budget Pet Products director Karla VanDepol explains why pet parents need to have open conversations about what happens to their dogs if they break up.

Our pets are valuable members of the family; however, if you are in a relationship, what happens to your dog if you and your partner separate?

Pet custody is becoming an increasingly common issue in modern relationships. With more couples living together before marriage or opting not to marry at all, both partners are forming strong bonds with their four-legged friend.

Nelly Gavrilov, 37, formed a strong bond with Harper, a Beagle-Boston Terrier mix, originally belonged to Nelly’s ex, but after eight years of living together and co-parenting the dog, she never imagined a future where she’d be cut off from seeing her.

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She spoke to Budget Pet Products about what happened to her after she split with her partner. Nelly said: “We had an amicable split. We didn’t fight about anything, especially not Harper. He promised I’d always be part of her life.”

However, now living in separate cities, despite reaching out several times, she has only seen Harper once in the last year. Nelly said: “I genuinely didn’t think he would do this,” adding that, “the hardest part is not knowing if she thinks I just left her.”

What is a pet prenup?

Despite being part of the family, pets are treated as possessions under family law. Osbourne's Law explains that when determining who a pet will live with after a break-up, the decision would be based on proof of ownership. To avoid this, pets being included in prenups, postnups, and cohabitation agreements is becoming increasingly common.

Budget Pet Products director Karla VanDepol said: “Pets are more than just animals, they’re family members who share our lives, routines, and hearts. As relationships evolve, the emotional and legal complexities of pet custody are becoming impossible to ignore.

“At Budget Pet Products, we believe it’s crucial for couples to have open conversations about pet parenting and consider formal agreements to protect these bonds.

“Our hope is that sharing stories like Nelly’s encourages others to plan ahead, so no one has to experience the heartbreak of losing access to a beloved pet.”

You can find out more about who gets the dog after a break-up and how to best support your pet during this time at Blue Cross.