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Read our 2025 blog on navigating pet ownership during divorce:
👉 From Property to Partnership

Custody issues in divorce are no longer just about children. As shown in a recent web article, hostile and passionate battles are now often fought over placement and/or visitation rights for pets in many divorce cases. This is another situation where divorce mediation can find a solution that works for everyone, human and non-human alike. This post will focus on how Collaborative Divorce & Mediation Can Solve Pet Custody Conflicts.

Collaborative Divorce & Mediation Can Solve Pet Custody Conflicts: PETS ARE PROPERTY UNDER THE LAW

Under Illinois divorce law, pets are treated as property. As such, a judge will try to fairly “distribute” pet custody based on the normal factors of property ownership such as how each person acquired the property and what they contributed to the marriage.

This can become a sensitive and emotional issue for owners who see their pets as beloved members of the family, not a piece of jewelry or a set of golf clubs.

When deciding where a pet will go post-divorce, some sympathetic judges may try to determine which party is more bonded to the pet and/or who invested more time and money for its care. It's more likely, however, that the person who wants the pet will be required to give up another asset that's similar in value to the cost of the pet's ongoing support.

And all this assumes that a judge will even allow a pet custody issue to be discussed at all.

Collaborative Divorce & Mediation Can Solve Pet Custody Conflicts: WHAT COLLABORATION & MEDIATION OFFER

It's pretty clear there are no guaranteed outcomes when the issue of pet custody is played out in court, which is all the more reason to settle the issue through mediation, collaborative divorce or uncontested divorce procedures.

When parties meet to talk in a neutral setting, they can potentially negotiate and detail a mutually agreed upon pet custody arrangement. Mediation allows time and space for everyone to have frank conversations about who really wants the pet as well as who is prepared and able to care for it financially and physically.

From this can flow a visitation schedule, shared care possibilities or other options based on each party's needs and desires.

Unless you've created a prenuptial agreement that covers how pets will be handled in a divorce, services like mediation offer more reliable, flexible and cost-effective results than working through the courts.

If your divorce scenario involves pet custody, contact me to learn how mediation can help create a workable solution. I have represented many clients that have learned how Collaborative Divorce & Mediation Can Solve Pet Custody Conflicts.

You can schedule a free 15 min call with our paralegal or an in-depth review of your situation with our attorney and mediator, here.