Why it’s a dog’s life to be a pet in a divorce
WHEN Louise and Ged Futter split up it wasn’t just the heartbroken couple having a tough time... their pet dog Casper was depressed, too. The cocker spaniel become sad and needy when Louisa and Ged decided to divorce and began living separately.
The pair became so concerned about their pining pooch they agreed to have contact arrangements included in their divorce so that Ged could have regular visits from Casper.
The new arrangement has now made Casper a contented canine once again.
And experts say he’s not the only dog left devastated following the divorce of his ‘pet parents’.
While we commonly hear of custody battles over children, new research has revealed that in the event of a break up, 81 per cent of owners want to keep their dog or cat too.
Dogs in particular struggle emotionally when one partner leaves the home.
Louisa Futter, 48, from Saltaire, Leeds, split up with husband Ged in 2016. She recalled: “Casper is an active, lively dog and very affectionate. He loves going out exploring but he’s equally content cuddling up on the sofa.
“When Ged and I separated and he left the family home we saw a change in Casper’s behaviour and he became more needy.
“He would follow me around the house constantly and when I would sit down, he would huddle up to me so his body was touching my leg.
“Casper certainly noticed the family unit had changed.”
Project manager Louisa was able to discuss this with Ged, 47, a retail consultant and they were so concerned about Casper’s emotional wellbeing they had the contact arrangements included in their divorce.
Louisa explained: “Pets are just as much of a consideration as children. It would have been cruel to stop Casper having time with Ged. One of the things that made our separation amicable is that there was no conflict about who would have the dog.
“It was agreed that he’d stay with me, and when he goes to Ged, his tail is wagging and he’s so happy to spend time with him.”