MADRID—Who gets the dog or cat when a couple breaks up?
A proposed reform of Spain’s legal system seeks to recognize animals as “sensitive living beings” instead of mere objects as has been the case until now.
The change will pave the way for judges to declare joint custody of pets in divorce hearings just as they do with children.
Until now custody of pets “has been the subject of controversy in our courts,” according to the proposed amendment to the legal code which still has to be approved by parliament.
The reform “sets out the criteria on which the courts must rely in deciding who to entrust custody of the animal, taking into account its well-being.”
‘Moral injury’
I…
Keep on reading: Divorced couple may get joint custody of pets