Unmarried Maine Couple Breaks Up, Who get The Dog?
According to Centralmaine.com, the break up of an unmarried Bangor couple has led to a trip to the Maine Supreme Court to decide ownership of their pet dog.
Jessica Sardinia and Kelvin Lariana broke up and the ownership of their pup, Honey, was decided by a District Court judge who ruled in favor of Liriano, because he signed the dog's adoption papers.
Sardinia's lawyer argued that Honey shouldn't be considered merely property while considering the pet custody case. According to Sardinia, Honey lived with her before Lariana even moved in with her because he was not allowed to have dogs in his apartment. She also claims to have registered Honey, provided her veterinary care, nursed Honey when she suffered from Lupus and needed a special diet and that Honey has a close bond with her other two dogs.
One of the judges noted the dire seriousness of other cases that they had considered that day and questioned whether cases such as Honeys are a good use of the court's time.
Pets are considered to be property in every state. Only California, Illinois and Alaska have laws to address the ownership of pets in the case of a divorce. There is nothing on the books regarding pets owned by an unmarried couple.
Are cases like this a waste of our court's time? Comment on our Fan Page.