"Must Love Dogs"...

If you are a pet owner and also looking to meet someone new after your divorce you know how important it is to date someone who will accept and love your pet. There is no sense in dating someone who is allergic to cats or dogs or who is not interested in pets, if pets are an important part of your life.

Since I have both cats and dogs and consider them all important members of my family, anyone I date must love both dogs and cats and be able to put with the way I spoil and baby them. My Maltese dog, Luigi, sleeps next to me every night, will only eat if I mix beech nut turkey baby food into his dog food and will bite a stranger's ankles if not properly introduced. He does has some "issues" and any boyfriend of mine would not only have to understand this, but be willing to love him as much as I do.

So how do you find the perfect dog or cat loving mate? There is a new website I discovered that matches you will potential partners based on the type of animal you love and the type of breed. At www.therightbreed.com you can find other compatible singles interested in dating someone with pets. Some other ways to meet animal lovers, would be to visit dog parks or join a dog or cat meetup.com group(many have groups based on breeds).

If "must love dogs...or cats" is on your list of musts for a future partner, avoid the heartache of having to choice between your "best friend" and a new partner and make sure to ask a potential date about how he or she feels about pets before going out on that first date. This way you do not waste your time getting to know someone and possibly falling in love with someone who does not share your love of animals.

English Man Ordered to Pay Support for Pets...

A British Court has ordered a banker to pay his ex-wife a yearly "maintenance" for her three horses. She was also awarded a lump sum to buy an new home with enough land for the horses to graze.

Before you start thinking this is crazy, you need to hear more about this couple's background. The couple, married for 11 years, was childless and after the wife tragically lost a baby in 2001, her husband bought her a horse. She also purchased two more horses with her own inheritance. She feels that these horses are like children. A talented rider, the horses were a major part of the couple's lives while they were married.

I think the wife has every right to be able to care for her horses after the divorce. Why should she have to give them up when the horses were part of both her and her husband's lives? The husband argued that there horses were now an "unjustified extravagance". Yet he cared for and supported these animals during the marriage.

As an animal lover, I can relate to this woman's deep love for her horses. Many people consider their pets to be members of the family. To have to give up a pet because of a divorce would be tragic. I am not sure what the ruling would have been here in the United States with a similar case. Unfortunately, pets are considered "property" in most states. The bottom line is that if you adopt a pet you are responsible for that pet's care. Divorce should not relieve you of those responsibilities.

Canine Custody: Who Gets The Dog?

Going through a divorce is difficult enough with pressing issues like dividing the assets and child custody, but for some couples, especially those who do not have human children, custody of the dog or dogs becomes a problem.

When a couple has children, the pets usually stay with the spouse who retains custody of the kids. It would be traumatic and heartbreaking to rip away a child's pet during his or her parent's divorce. But when there are no children, and both spouses consider the dog to be the "child", things can get heated and nasty. A canine custody battle can ensue.

There is a new book that addresses this problem and aims to guide divorcing couples through the difficult process of canine custody. Jennifer Keene is the author of We Can't Stay Together for the Dogs: Doing What's Best For Your Dog when Your Relationship Breaks.

Here are some tips to working out custody of your dog during a divorce:

1. Put your dog first. It is important to put aside your own needs and think of what is best for your dog. Consider his age, temperament health and tolerance for change.

2. Be fair. Working out an arrangement where you and your ex can share custody of the dog will take hard work and require you both put your emotions aside.

3. Don't fight in front of the dog. Dogs, like kids, sense negative energy and are affected by their owners lashing out at one another. Your goal should be to keep your dog's routine and surroundings as familiar as possible and make sure he feels safe and loved.

Your dog has given you unconditional love and has been there for you through the best and worst times. You owe it to him to do what is best and keep him happy, despite your changing circumstances. Try to work with your spouse to ensure that you both get quality time with the dog after the divorce and do it the most amicable way possible.

How A Divorce Can Affect Your dog

We all know divorce hurts kids, but can it hurt the pets too? According to David The Dogman, dogs and cats can suffer from the turmoil and emotional upset in the home that divorce and marital problems often bring.

David says "When couples shout and argue with each other this will indeed affect the dog (and also the cat). Our blacker moods and tantrums will have an adverse effect on our pet dog. Nervous behaviour is often caused by the owner's actions. Whenever I am called to a home where owners have a howling, barking, destructive, digging, house soiling, or one showing symptoms of an anxiety related behaviour, where it is apparent that the dog has an inability to cope with life, I always ask if there has been a death, separation or indeed a divorce that could have triggered the problems, as this behaviour is a typical expression of canine anxiety."

Since our pets are treated as members of our families and are sensitive to our feelings, it would make sense that any disruption in the family would affect them adversely. The best advice on how to help your pet deal with your divorce is probably the same for your children. Avoid fighting in front of them, try to maintain a normal routine for them as possible and most importantly, try to resolve your divorce peacefully. Everyone, including your dog will benefit.

Who Gets The Pets In A Divorce?

During a divorce there are so many issues to be decided. Martial assets have to be divided, alimony and child support awarded and custody arrangements must be made.

But what about the pets? What happens when both spouses want custody of the dog or cat? Since animals are considered "property" in most states, the family court usually treats pets much like it would when dividing the china and other household items. This is sad, because as any pet lover will tell you, pets become beloved members of our families.

In my own divorce, I got to keep our 17 pound black and white cat, Woogie. Luckily, as bitter as my divorce was, my ex did not pursue custody of Woogie. I am sure he did not want to hurt the children by trying to take their cat away. Some couples who do not have children and consider their pets their "kids" may wage an all out battle for their pets.

The best way to resolve a pet custody dispute is to think of what is in the best interest of the pet. Also allowing the spouse, who does not get to keep the pet, visitation rights is a good idea. If there are children who have bonded with the pet, it is always a good idea to let the pet live with the custodial parent so the children are not traumatized by having to have their pet live in a different home. Couples need to work together and put their differences aside for the sake of their dog or cat. Don't put the fate of your beloved pet in the hands of a family court judge.