The US state of Tennessee is introducing a bill on pet custody after divorce
Tennessee lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow courts to determine who gets custody of pets in the event of a divorce, newsweek reported, as state representative Caleb Hemmer and state senator Jeff Yarbrough, both Democrats, introduced an amendment to the state law. , with the aim of taking into account the "welfare" of the animals.
According to the report, the court may stipulate the ownership or joint ownership of any pet or companion animal owned by the parties, taking into account the welfare of the animal, and Hammer told Axios that pets are “like family members” for many people, and he said, “It is logical that the courts treat them in the same way.” ".
The role of legislators
According to Axios, lawmakers were inspired to craft the bill after the constituent, Tim Shrum, began researching the case after he lost custody of his family's dog during the divorce. If passed, the law will go into effect on July 1.
Not the first country
Tennessee is not the first state to propose such a law. Similar species exist in Alaska, California, New York and Illinois. Washington, D.C., is also considering a bill to allow judges to consider the best interest of animals and award joint custody in the event of a divorce.
Disagreement over animal custody in case of divorce
Attorney Batley said that she deals with many divorce cases, noting that she receives about 30 phone calls per day regarding these types of custody cases.
In a recent divorce, she said the woman took five of the couple's dogs, leaving her ex-husband with one, and the man initially wanted to put the dog up for adoption, but changed his mind after speaking with the lawyer. She said he texted her this morning saying he realized the pet was his responsibility.
The attorney believes the proposed state bill could go further to ensure that the owner is actually required to take care of the pet. She said the court should also define the responsibilities pet owners have to ensure the animal is not abandoned.
