Mumbai: Divorced couple decides to share custody of two dogs

This picture has been used for representational purposes

A Mumbai-based couple, granted divorce last week after 18 years of marriage, decided to share the custody of their two pet dogs they had rescued three years ago. They have chalked out a plan deciding who would have the dominant custody with a clause of informing each other when they take the canines for vacation.

The childless couple, who are in their early 40s, parted ways due to irreconcilable differences with their habits, views and lifestyles not matching. However, they did not want to split their dogs, who are siblings, the Times of India said in a report.

According to the plan, the man, who works as a banker, will have the dominant custody of the pooches, while the woman, a homemaker, will get them for a continuous period of a month, thrice a year. The plan can be put on hold for a few days if either of the dogs' parents decides to take their custody for two days a week or for the weekend with prior intimation. The non-dominant parent is allowed to visit the dogs in convenient times with prior intimation.

The custodial plan also permits travels with the dogs for more than a month's time. If one makes a travel plan for more than a week, the other has to be intimated more than two weeks before the trip. Either of them has to be informed two days in advance if one of them is planning a short trip with the canines.

The couple had filed for separation in December 2018 and was granted divorce by mutual consent on Friday, which was also their last counselling to mark their plea. According to the report, their lawyers called this case as an example of 'treating their family member as humane and separating in peace'.

Even as lawyers say that they get queries from their clients on how to handle pet custody, they also say that such requests are not new. "As consent terms go, it is not very common to have a detailed joint parenting schedule drawn up for pets but with more families having pets I do get queries in client conferences on how to implement custody and access of children and pet dogs and whether any breach would attract contempt," veteran lawyer Mrunalini Deshmukh was quoted as saying.

A lawyer recalled a case of divorce by mutual consent but without a detailed plan on the custody of the couple's five-year-old dog. "It was a divorce by mutual consent, but there was no actual parental plan as full custody of a five-year-old German Shepherd was given to one parent, with medical expenses to be shared," the lawyer was quoted as saying. She also recalled a divorce case where one person got the full custody of their two dogs after the estranged partner did not claim any rights.

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