Read the original article by wthr staff at wthr.com here.
A new law going into effect in California starting January 1 is taking the phrase “fur baby” a step further, giving pets more rights.
The purpose of the new measure is to consider what’s in the best interest of the pet in divorce cases, instead of treating them the way they’ve been treated by courts in the past — as physical property.
The law was sponsored by dog owner and state Assembly member Bill Quirk and signed by dog lover Governor Jerry Brown.View image on Twitter
Yes! Governor Brown has signed my bill to give courts better guidance about how to handle the care of pets during divorce proceedings. Pets are family and should get special consideration. This was the perfect partnership w/@sfspca https://bit.ly/2DzoBIT #AB22744
The law empowers judges to consider “the care of the pet animal” and create shared custody agreements.
“To treat a pet as property made no sense to me,” Quirk told NBC News. “We’ve actually had judges who said you can sell the dog and split the proceeds.”
The law doesn’t just apply to dogs. It defines “pet” as “any animal that is community property and kept as a household pet.”
