Three Ways a Child Custody Lawyer Helps Win Pet Custody

With over 29 million pets in Australia, it is safe to say that pets are an integral part of Australian households. In fact, pets are considered part of the family and are treated as such. Unfortunately, pet owners do not usually consider pet rights during separation or divorce. The only time divorcing partners discuss pet issues is when the process is over. Notably, it is crucial to understand that no partner has authority over a shared pet. If you want custody or visitation rights for pets, you should hire a family lawyer to help you in various ways.

Prove Your Capability to Care for a Pet

The first things family courts look at when hearing pet custody cases is the ability of both parents to care for the animal. Pets have varying needs that must be provided for to ensure comfort. Therefore, both partners must prove that they are well equipped to offer such care. For instance, if you live in an apartment building that does not allow pets, there is very little your lawyer can do to win you custody of a shared pet. However, they can advise you to move to an apartment or another residential property that allows pets. However, your new place should meet the specific needs of your pet. For example, if you have a dog that loves space and running around, your property should have a backyard to accommodate your pet's active lifestyle.

Prove the Other Parent's Negligence

Family lawyers often advise partners not to talk ill about their partner during child custody cases. It is usually done for the sake of children's psychological health. However, it is different for pets, and you are allowed to gather as much information as possible regarding your partner's negligence towards a pet. Therefore, if you have evidence indicating that your partner has been negligent towards your pet or has abused it occasionally, a lawyer will use the information to argue that you are the best parent to live with the pet. For instance, you can win pet custody if your lawyer can prove that your partner keeps forgetting to feed the pet or abandoning it most days of the week.

Win Primary Custody of Your Children

You are most likely to win a pet custody case if you have primary custody of children. Therefore, a family lawyer will ensure you win child custody before embarking on your pet custody case. The reason is that family courts rely on the relationship between children and their pets to determine pet custody issues. If children are very close with a pet, a judge has no problem awarding pet custody to the parent with primary custody of the kids.


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