Following the divorce of a couple in Bogotá, Colombia, the man requested regular visits to the pet dog, which was rejected by the woman, and the two were brought to justice. The Bogotá High Court had recently ruled that pet dogs were full members of the family. On this basis, the Third Family Court in Bogotá ruled that the man ' s request must be satisfied.
In January 2021, Yadel Castano and his wife Maria Bustamante divorced, but in the settlement agreement for divorce assets, Castano did not mention the pet dog Simna, which was considered a “daughter”.
After the divorce, Castano insisted on visiting her pet dog at her home. According to Castano, she was brought to court in June this year, claiming that her marriage to Bustamante had ended, but that he remained true to Simna.
This makes it difficult for the Bogotá judges: should the case be dealt with by the Family Court or by the Circuit Court?
According to the judges of the Bogotá High Court, in today's society, pets are generally regarded as emotional family members and therefore multi-species families need to be protected. Since the plaintiff considers Simna to be his “daughter”, the Family Court should have taken up the case.
The Bogotá High Court also cited a judgement of a Brazilian court in July 2022 that, following the divorce of a couple in Brazil, the costs of caring for pet dogs had been disputed and the court had ruled that the costs were shared between the two parties.
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