{"id":508,"date":"2021-08-23T13:25:08","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T17:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altdivorce.com\/?p=508"},"modified":"2021-08-23T13:25:08","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T17:25:08","slug":"kids-dogs-divorce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altdivorce.com\/kids-dogs-divorce\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids, Dogs and Divorce"},"content":{"rendered":"
Written by Melissa Lafreniere, MA,RP, QFAS<\/em><\/p>\n As a parenting mediator and psychotherapist, I help separating couples make agreements that prioritize their children throughout the separation and divorce process. I recently had a couple approach me with this exact question. Before making the difficult decision to separate, they had recently added a fun loving golden retriever named Scout to their family. To complicate matters, they also had 3 beautiful children who were absolutely in love with their new fur baby brother.\u00a0 Upon hearing that their family was going to change, all the kids immediately asked what would happen to their furry friend. One parent was definitely more attached to Scout while the other worked long hours and hadn\u2019t really wanted a dog to begin with. While it made sense for the parent who was more attached to the dog to keep it, the kids were very worried about not seeing their beloved friend when they were spending time in the other home.<\/p>\n Both parents wondered how much of an impact it would have on the kids to be separated from Scout. Turns out, kids and dogs go together like peas and carrots and separating them could have a bigger impact than one would think. Here are some of the reasons why it is better for them to be kept together.<\/p>\n The parents I met during our parenting mediation session were really surprised that keeping Scout and the kids together could have such a positive impact. They ultimately decided that Scout would travel with the kids and I think everyone, including Scout, will be very pleased about that!<\/p>\n While it may not always be possible for the dog or pet to travel with the children (and that is ok too), the research does seem to point to it being a good idea when it can be arranged.\u00a0 In the case of Scout and his family, the children were thrilled that they would have him in both homes. For their benefit, both parents also agreed to support each other concerning the dog, which at the end of the day, is the most important thing when it comes to separating when children are involved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Written by Melissa Lafreniere, MA,RP, QFAS As a parenting mediator and psychotherapist, I help separating couples make agreements that prioritize their children throughout the separation and divorce process. I recently had a couple approach me with this exact question. Before making the difficult decision to separate, they had recently added a fun loving golden retriever named Scout to their family. To complicate matters, they also had 3 beautiful children who were absolutely in love with … <\/p>\n\n