Court in Argentina issues joint custody ruling for divorcees and their pet dogs

A court in Argentina has issued a joint custody ruling in a groundbreaking case of two dogs whose owners have divorced, the former couple's lawyer said Tuesday.

In the first case of its kind in the country, Family Court No. 6 in San Isidro on the outskirts of Buenos Aires determined custody and visitation rights for canines Kiara, nine, and Popeye, six.

They are the dogs of Amorina Abascoy, 47 and her ex-husband Emmanuel Medina, 42, who were married for 15 years and had no children.

Under the ruling, Popeye will live with Abascoy and Kiara with Medina, their lawyer Brian Knobel told reporters. They will sometimes swap homes.

The four are regularly seen together on a local beach on the banks of the Río de la Plata.

"There are no problems with the four of us meeting, even if we are separated," Abascoy told A24 television news channel.

Other details of the ruling were not divulged, including how it deals with disagreements over the dogs' feeding regime.

Abascoy insists on a healthy diet while Medina feeds Kiara empanadas, according to Knobel.

In 2015, another court in Argentina ruled that an orangutan named Sandra was entitled to "non-human" basic rights and was being unlawfully held at a zoo. She was later moved to a sanctuary in the United States.   

Knobel told the press that Abascoy and Medina believe that dogs should be considered "non-human persons with feelings."
 

– TIMES/AFP