Our Amy Trevellick talks about what happens to your pets upon separation and whether a pet nup is right for you.

With the increase of pet ownership since the start of the pandemic, many people are now asking “what will happen to our pets if we separate?”. Of course, anyone who owns a pet will know that they soon become part of the family. It is therefore difficult to explain to client’s that their pets will only be considered a “chattel”, much in the same way as the furniture in their home, or their personal possessions. Unfortunately, the law has not developed in this area to keep up with the modern family owning domestic pets, and so this outdated approach remains in place.

When it comes to deciding the ownership of “chattels”, the law will consider who bought the item in the first instance. Insofar as this applies to pets, ownership is