Pets Regarded as Family Members in Pennsylvania Divorces

[FlyersFan]

I think this is excellent.

From what I"m reading, in a divorce, pets would be treated like kids, with official custody arrangements and making sure the pets get care and aren't discarded etc.  


Pets Should Be Regarded as Family Members in Divorce Cases in Pennsylvania Bill

A Pennsylvania bill would recognize pets as family members, elevating their status in situations such as divorce. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 97, which would elevate the legal status of pets as “living beings that are generally regarded as cherished family members that offer their owners companionship, security and assistance,” if signed into law. 

 
The bill would create an official definition of a companion animal, elevating its status in divorce proceedings.  “Companion animals occupy a special category of personal property which does not include inanimate personal property. Therefore, it is the policy of the Commonwealth that special consideration be extended to companion animals when the division of personal property is planned or determined,” the legislation continues. 

[imitator]

I wonder about visitation rights?
Imagine explaining to your friends that you’re late because it’s your ex’s weekend with the ferret.

 

[UltraBudgie]

Pets are considered chattels, right? Animal comfort slaves.

It is reasonable that special consideration be given to them.

Although perhaps there would be less divorce were it the law that all joint-custody pets be executed or physically divided in half when the union is dissolved.

[fiveandtwo]

I wonder about visitation rights?
Imagine explaining to your friends that you’re late because it’s your ex’s weekend with the ferret.

 

[Byrd]

I think it's an excellent idea.

Like small children, animals don't really understand what's going on.  It's confusing and frightening and (as with children) adults often fight over who gets what.  Having a neutral third party decide is an excellent idea.

[DBCowboy]

I think this is excellent.

From what I"m reading, in a divorce, pets would be treated like kids, with official custody arrangements and making sure the pets get care and aren't discarded etc.  


Pets Should Be Regarded as Family Members in Divorce Cases in Pennsylvania Bill

My doggos would have more rights than unborn children, let that sink in.

[Maxmars]

This kind of legislation is for the humans' sake alone; never the "pet."

It's about equity and pretense of 'balance.'

Fortunately, pets are not likely to be quite so emotionally abused...
as "The OTHER Chattle™" ... children...

(that's when they are as an "object" of third-party virtue barter.)

Hmmm, sounds like international diplomacy... or the stuff of think-tanks...

[rickymouse]

Our pets have always been part of our family, even the plants.  The deer that come to our patio door, they are our neighbors, and of course our customers of our buffet.  The pay us back for the food we feed them by mowing the grass and fertilizing the yard.  They are our compost bins too, they eat all the potato and carrot peels and apple cores.  Just toss them out the door past the deck onto the ground and they clean up the mess us pigs make.  Also, any extra sunflower seeds left on the deck they clean up, including the shells.  They do watch tv sometimes when eating on the deck through the patio door too.  if they stand five feet from the deck on the ground they can see it too, Dinner and a movie.

So, I guess they are extended family, and between the seven or eight of them they eat a pound of carrots, about five pounds of potatoes, a couple of apples, and half a loaf of homemade organic bread toasted a day.

We only have a three star rating on our restaurant though, the buffet is not all you can eat, we shut off the food to make sure they do not get too fat.  After all, they hit all the houses on the road every day for food, they have a schedule, they travel about a mile and a half towards town, and they also do about a quarter mile the other way.  Some feed them corn, others other grains, but we feed them human food.  They also like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches toasted. 

Maybe I should refer to the deer as hired hoofs because they don't have hands.