‘Who keeps the fur baby?’ It can be a contentious question when couples separate. Does one partner take the dog, or do you share custody? When radio stars Jay-Jay Feeney and Dom Harvey split seven years ago after 18 years together, there was no discussion about custody of their fur baby, Kanye. “It was just known,” Feeney says of who would become the Sydney Silky’s primary carer.
“He loves Dom more than me, even though he was my birthday present,” she quips. The celebrity exes, well known for their amicable split, live 3km from each other. They catch up for coffee most days, or Feeney watches the dog while Harvey exercises or is out of town.
They have a joint bank account to pay for the dog’s expenses. When they separated, Harvey initially stayed in their house while Feeney went to an apartment. Six months later, she moved from Auckland to Christchurch for a year.
It made sense for Kayne to stay put. Their amiability is impressive, given that pets can be emotive and contentious for some separating couples. Pets and the law Rotorua family lawyer Jodie Foster, of OSC Law, points out under New Zealand family law, pets are considered chattels — items of property like cars or couches — and are subject to equal division.
The sorts of things judges look at in terms of making arrangements for kids aren’t what they necessarily look at for animals. However, the court’s main consideration is the pet’s welfare. Lawyers NZME spoke to say specialised mediation or .