On April 3rd, 2025, the Working Group on Pets on Divorce and Separation attended the House of Lords to meet with the Earl of Courtown and Baroness Berridge. At the meeting, the group discussed pets and a potential change in the law regarding how they are treated on separation.
Pets on Divorce
In attendance were:
Sir Nicholas Mostyn, Sarah Lucy Cooper, Estella Newbold-Brown, Gemma Lindfield, Samantha Baines, Emily Prince, Yanoulla Kakoulli, Teresa Cullen, Diane Matthews, Natalie Sutherland, Karen Wylie, Sadie Glover, and Stephanie Douthwaite
The House of Lords
The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative chambers which occupy the building.
The meeting was facilitated/arranged by the All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG). It took place in the iconic Committee Room One at The Palace of Westminster, where Lords have sat to hear many seminal family law cases such as White v White, Miller v Miller and McFarlane v McFarlane, all of which are relied on today by practicing lawyers.
Great discussions were had regarding how pets should be treated on separation. The group discussed different jurisdictions and made very thoughtful and persuasive arguments. This meeting follows Baroness Berridge’s speech in the House of Lords in February of this year.
Law change in Australia
In December 2024, the Family Law Amendment Bill was passed in Australia. This bill introduced key changes to how pets are treated in divorce proceedings. The Bill acknowledged people’s emotional ties with their pets and how they should be seen as more than just property in a separation. The new legislation provides more precise guidelines for courts to decide who should keep the pet and takes into consideration whether domestic abuse has impacted the relationship in the past, to ensure that the pet is not used as a tool of coercion.
These changes come into effect on 10th June 2025.
Next Steps for Pets on Divorce and the House of Lords
With this positive change in the law in Australia, the Working Group on Pets on Divorce and Separation plans to put forward a similar model to be passed in England and Wales.
Let’s keep this momentum up and make this change happen!!
Follow the Working Group’s progress on LinkedIn.
Media
- Resolution, The Review: Multispecies families? Pets in Family Law
- Daily Mail: Revealed: The best way to make sure you get the dog in a divorce
- The Times: Walk your dog: you might be more likely to keep it after divorce
- Today’s Family Lawyer: New campaign calls for legal reform to recognise pets as family, not property
