According to reports, a separated couple in Spain was supposedly granted joint custody of their dog, Panda, in an unusual court judgment made earlier this month, according to sources.
According to RTVE, the couple went to court to determine who would be in charge of their Border Collie after their 20-month relationship came to an end, and the pair won. According to court documents obtained by RTVE, the pair ended their relationship after 20 months of dating.
The court concluded that both persons should be “jointly accountable” and “co-caretakers” for Panda, and in return for this, the judge awarded them joint custody of the dog. The dog will be rotated between two homes once a month, according to RTVE, according to the verdict’s terms.
The judge’s decision makes it clear that pets should be considered as living individuals under the law, rather than as property, and that this should be the situation in the future.
“The evidence presented in the proceedings establishes an emotional bond between the plaintiff and the dog that is worthy of legal guardianship,” a court of law has declared, according to the BBC.
In line with the 1987 European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, the couple’s case was brought to court by attorney Lola Garca. According to the Washington Post, Spanish legislators approved the measure in 2017.
As Garca explained to the newspaper, she used paperwork to back her allegation, including veterinary bills, Panda’s adoption contract, and images of the couple with their puppy.
The novelty, according to Garca, is that the convention can be used to avoid having to define the pet as a shared thing or property, and instead focus on the animal’s welfare, the emotional bond, and the shared responsibility of caring for an animal, which goes above and beyond the pet being considered a possession.
“There is an emotional connection here,” the attorney general said, “and the judicial system must accept that.”
