Originally published: Direct Line Group , 23 March 2022
- Over a quarter (27 per cent) of divorces last year involved the custody of a pet
- There has been a 20 per cent rise in the demand for ‘pet-nups’, prenuptial agreements involving pets, in the last three years
- Nearly half of pet owners (46 per cent) who have broken up with a partner believe their pet’s health was negatively affected
- Divorcing couples are spending upwards of £7,000 on legal fees to agree custody of a pet
Legal experts are increasingly finding custody of a pet is a common feature of divorce cases reveals new research1 from Direct Let Pet Insurance. Last year saw an estimated 101,500 divorces, of which over a quarter (27 per cent) involved the custody or care of a dog or cat. In around half of divorce cases, where the custody of a pet is involved, they were prioritised over property and cars (both 55 per cent), furniture, electrical items, household goods (53 per cent) and jewellery, paintings, or collectibles (49 per cent).
Research conducted among 100 family lawyers by Pureprofile in February 2022
