Ditkaless Wonders said:
So I remain facinatecd by this joint custody of pets after relationship separation thing. A thing, I note from this thread, which is apparently common.
Each of you and your current partner seems to have a half interest in attachment to a dog from a former relationship. You now are each exposed to these half-interest dogs. Presumably such exposure means that you can form emotional attachments to these pets. If you then break off the current relationship does this give you a quarter interest in the pet to whom you have formed an emotional attachment by virtue of this just terminated relationship? Do you and her ex now arrange play dates for you with the dog formally shared by you and your ex? Does the same go for your ex's. Are they now bound, potentially to each other over the dog once shared by you and your first ex? How many generations of relationship does this go on?
The norms of your generation are strange to me. Not wrong, just very strange.
I would think that post-breakup interests in dogs would only apply in situations where a couple got a dog while living together and jointly raised the dog for a significant period of time. I raised my dog for 8 years with my ex, and my girlfriend raised her dog with her ex for around 5 years. I think that is usually sufficient to establish a lifelong interest in the dog's life.
If I broke up with my girlfriend, I certainly would not feel the need to spend time with her dog. And, for example, in Zow's case, I don't think that his racist ex-girlfriend getting a dog while
they were not living together and were dating for less than a year (I think) should result in any shared custody situation.
I just think there is a significant difference between those scenarios.