No one plans to break up, but get the petnup
Why a petnup is as necessary as a prenup — even for cohabitators
No one goes into a relationship planning for the breakup (unless you’re unsure about this person in the first place and just settling). It’s one of the reasons that prenuptial agreements (aka prenups) can become such a controversial topic. For some people, the idea of creating a prenup is like saying the marriage won’t last. If you two make it too easy to walk away, you’ve ignored the “til death do us part” in the vows.
For others — especially millennials — having a prenuptial agreement is no different than auto insurance. Even if you don’t plan on someone ramming into your car, the goal here is to be able to pop those dents out and keep it moving. And your car doesn’t feel some kind of way about it either way it goes.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage for each sale made with my referral links on this page.
But what happens with cohabitators who decide to get a pet? If one-half of the couple walks into the relationship with a pet already, it’s almost a given that that person will leave the relationship with the same dog, cat, rabbit, bird, etc. However, pet lovers can find it almost as tough to separate themselves from their four-legged (or beaked) friend as they do the one standing on two legs.
For unmarried couples, a cohabitation agreement is a practical alternative. A cohabitation agreement is a way for an unmarried couple to safeguard their individual interests and assets while they live together. Like a prenuptial agreement, the two have agreed on the exact items that they came in and will leave with.
Recommended Read: “Is the ‘inconvenience fee’ the answer to no prenup? ~ Mariah Carey may make it that way”
But tangible objects have no feelings. They’re not meeting you at the door. They don’t bark, meow, hop, tweet, slither and stare at you. They don’t need to be fed, petted or walked. They don’t cuddle up on the couch or bed with you, and they don’t become instant bodyguards who are about that life. Telling a significant other after a breakup that the dog is yours after (s)he’s already created a bond with that animal can become a full-fledged battle. In 2020 alone, according to one survey, 76% of millennials are pet parents; over half are dog owners and 35% have cats.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I choose to continue promoting intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. All five of my Substack publications now include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site, not just the Amazon Black-owned logo, to verify this.) If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
And even in multi-pet homes, splitting them won’t work either. As much as parents like to believe they don’t have a favorite, they do. Quiet as it’s kept, the pets aren’t always so subtle about who they want to be around the most either. Imagine being the pet parent who the pet wants to be around the least. Now imagine more than one pet favors one-half of the couple. Awkward.