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The first ever pre-nuptial agreement for pet owners is being introduced in Cambridge.
Blue Cross, which has a re-homing centre in Garlic Row, has today announced the launch of the Pet Nup, the pet equivalent of a pre-nuptial agreement.
The charity is encouraging pet owners to consider their beloved cats and dogs and sign up to this specially created document to plan for the pets’ future to avoid further heartache should their relationship come to an end.
A recent report carried out by the charity has revealed that more than one in four divorced couples in the UK has argued over the ownership of their pets when they split.
Blue Cross figures show that marital conflict and relationship breakdown has been the cause of almost a thousand pets given up to Blue Cross’s re-homing centres over the past five years – an average of four a week.
The leading pet charity has partnered with divorce lawyers, Lloyd Platt & Company, in an attempt to stop the numbers of pets getting caught up in marital disputes around the country and lessen the stress and heartache for owners and pets alike.
It comes as almost two thirds of those questioned revealed that arguing over treasured pets had added to the emotional turmoil of a divorce. And 66 per cent admitted that a pre-agreed written agreement, stipulating at the outset who would get ownership of pets and who would pay for what in the event of a divorce, would have made the process a lot less upsetting and they would have argued less about it.
Dogs and cats were identified as the most fought over pets followed by horses, rabbits and guinea pigs.
Pauline Ranner, deputy centre manager at Blue Cross in Cambridge, said: “At our re-homing centres we deal with some very upsetting situations when pets are brought to us following relationship splits. It really is devastating for everyone involved – including the pet. One partner will sometimes bring a pet to us for re-homing without the other’s knowledge. Our pets are not just material goods; they are often at the heart of our home lives, so it is a good idea to agree on your pet’s future in advance to make a difficult situation easier.
“It makes sense to agree up front who will keep your pet so that they don’t get dragged through the courts or end up in our re-homing centres.”
The free document, which can be downloaded from the Blue Cross website.
Vanessa Lloyd Platt, divorce lawyer at Lloyd Platt & Company, said: “Pets are part of the family so in the event of divorce who gets to look after the pet, as with children, is sadly all too often the grounds for much dispute. We handle more than four hundred divorces a year, many of which have a prenuptial agreement involved, and whilst they are always emotional and hard for those involved, the pre-nuptial agreements definitely take the conflict out of them and speed up the process. Just as with the house, the car, and the gadgets, it makes sense to agree right at the outset who gets ownership of the dog, horse or the chinchilla in the event of a relationship breakdown or divorce.”
More here:
Warring couples in Cambridge can now get a pre-nup for their PET for the first time
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