Tracker · Updated October 2026
Pet custody laws by state: how courts decide who gets the dog in a divorce
Eight states and the District of Columbia have laws telling divorce courts to weigh a pet's well-being, care or best interest when deciding who keeps it. Alaska was first, in 2017, and Rhode Island the latest, in 2024. Together they hold 78.5 million people, or 23.0% of the US population; elsewhere pets are divided under general property rules.
Key findings
- Nine US jurisdictions, eight states and DC, have divorce laws that ask courts to consider a pet's well-being, care or best interest.
- These nine hold 78.5 million people, or 23.0% of the 341.8 million US residents counted in Census Bureau 2025 estimates.
- California alone accounts for 39.4 million of them, just over half of everyone covered.
- Alaska's law took effect on January 17, 2017; Rhode Island's, the newest, on June 26, 2024.
- Only 3 of the 9 laws list factors for judges to weigh: Rhode Island 10, Maine 7 and Delaware 3.
- Maine is the only one that requires the court to award a companion animal to one party alone.
- Colorado's 2026 pet custody bill, HB26-1131, was marked lost, so no new state joined the list in 2025 or 2026.
- US divorces fell from 944,000 in 2000 to 662,950 in 2024 in CDC counts, which leave out some non-reporting states.
Which states have pet custody laws?
Eight states and the District of Columbia have them. They are Alaska, Illinois, California, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Delaware and Rhode Island, plus DC.
Each law tells a divorce court to think about the animal itself, not just its dollar value. The wording differs: five use well-being, three use best interest, and California uses care.
Pets are still property in all nine places. The laws change how that property is divided, not its legal status.
Source: state statutes and session laws read by dogeats.in, October 2026. Includes the District of Columbia. Maine counted from October 18, 2021, when Public Law 2021, ch. 285 took effect.
Show the numbers
| Label | jurisdictions |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 | 9 |
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| State | Statute | Enacting law | Date | Standard the court applies | Joint ownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | AS 25.24.160(a)(5); AS 25.24.220 | HB 147, Laws of Alaska 2016, ch. 60 | In effect Jan. 17, 2017 | Well-being of the animal | Yes (joint ownership) |
| Illinois | 750 ILCS 5/503(n); also 5/452, 5/501(f), 5/502 | Public Act 100-422 | In effect Jan. 1, 2018 | Well-being of the companion animal | Yes (sole or joint) |
| California | Family Code Sec. 2605 | AB 2274, Stats. 2018, ch. 820 | In effect Jan. 1, 2019 | Care of the pet animal | Yes (sole or joint) |
| New Hampshire | RSA 458:16-a, II-a | Laws 2019, 130:1; amended 2022, 186 | In effect Aug. 24, 2019 | Animals' wellbeing | Not specified |
| Maine | 19-A MRSA Sec. 953(10) | Public Law 2021, ch. 285 | In effect Oct. 18, 2021 | Well-being and basic daily needs, plus 6 more factors | No (one party only) |
| New York | Domestic Relations Law Sec. 236(B)(5)(d)(15) | S4248, Laws of 2021, ch. 509 | Signed Oct. 25, 2021, in effect immediately | Best interest of the animal | Not specified |
| District of Columbia | D.C. Code Sec. 16-910(a)(3) | D.C. Law 24-346 | In effect Apr. 21, 2023 | Care and best interest of the pet animal | Yes (sole or joint) |
| Delaware | 13 Del. C. Sec. 1513(g) | HB 95, 84 Del. Laws ch. 51 | Signed June 27, 2023 | Well-being of the companion animal, 3 listed factors | Yes (1 or both parties) |
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 15-5-30 | P.L. 2024, ch. 402 | In effect June 26, 2024 | Best interest of the animal, 6 sole and 4 joint factors | Yes (sole or joint) |
Alaska was first. Its 2016 bill, HB 147, also let courts include animals in domestic violence protective orders. Rhode Island's 2024 law is the newest and the most detailed.
The laws came in small waves. Two took effect in 2019, two in 2021 and two in 2023. No year since 2016 has added more than two.
The gap between the first and the latest law is seven years and five months, from January 2017 to June 2024. More than two years have now passed without a new one.
Nearly a quarter of Americans live under a pet custody law
The nine jurisdictions with these laws had 78,512,481 residents in Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025. They make up 23.0% of the 341,784,857 people in the 50 states and DC.
California does most of the work. Its 39.4 million residents are 50.1% of everyone covered. New York adds 20.0 million and Illinois 12.7 million.
The five smallest places on the list, Alaska, DC, Delaware, Rhode Island and Maine, have about 5.0 million residents between them. New Hampshire adds 1.4 million.
Source: US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates (NST-EST2025), July 1, 2025.
Show the numbers
| Label | million people |
|---|---|
| California | 39.36M |
| New York | 20.00M |
| Illinois | 12.72M |
| New Hampshire | 1.42M |
| Maine | 1.41M |
| Rhode Island | 1.11M |
| Delaware | 1.06M |
| Alaska | 0.74M |
| District of Columbia | 0.69M |
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The big jumps came with California and New Hampshire in 2019, which took coverage to 15.9%, and with New York and Maine in 2021, which took it to 22.1%.
What each law says, word for word
The core sentence in each law is short. The table below quotes the operative words from each statute as published by the state.
The standards fall into three groups. Alaska, Illinois, New Hampshire, Maine and Delaware use well-being. New York, DC and Rhode Island use best interest. California asks about the care of the pet.
| State | Operative wording (quoted from the statute) |
|---|---|
| Alaska | "if an animal is owned, for the ownership or joint ownership of the animal, taking into consideration the well-being of the animal" |
| Illinois | "it shall allocate the sole or joint ownership of and responsibility for a companion animal of the parties ... the court shall take into consideration the well-being of the companion animal" |
| California | "may assign sole or joint ownership of a pet animal taking into consideration the care of the pet animal" |
| New Hampshire | "the property settlement shall address the care and ownership of the parties' animals, taking into consideration the animals' wellbeing" |
| Maine | "shall award ownership of the companion animal to only one party after considering all relevant factors" |
| New York | "in awarding the possession of a companion animal, the court shall consider the best interest of such animal" |
| District of Columbia | "may assign sole or joint ownership of a pet animal, taking into consideration the care and best interest of the pet animal" |
| Delaware | "it shall award ownership of and responsibility for the companion animal to 1 or both of the parties ... the Court shall take into consideration the well-being of the companion animal" |
| Rhode Island | "the court shall consider the best interest of the animal" |
Ellipses mark text left out for length. The definitions differ too. Illinois, Maine, Delaware and Rhode Island exclude service animals. California and DC cover any animal that is community property and kept as a household pet.
How to get custody of a dog in a divorce: what judges weigh
Only three of the nine laws spell out factors. Rhode Island lists 10, Maine 7 and Delaware 3. The other six give judges a standard and leave the details to them.
The most common factor is who did the daily care. Maine, Delaware and Rhode Island all ask which spouse fed, groomed, walked or took the animal to the vet.
Children feature in two laws. Maine and Rhode Island ask about a child's attachment to the animal and whether it should stay in the child's home.
Source: statute text. Rhode Island: 6 factors for sole possession and 4 for joint possession. States with 0 set a standard without a list.
Show the numbers
| Label | factors |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 10 |
| Maine | 7 |
| Delaware | 3 |
| Alaska | 0 |
| California | 0 |
| District of Columbia | 0 |
| Illinois | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 0 |
| New York | 0 |
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| Factor | Maine | Delaware | Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal's well-being or best interest | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Who did the daily care (feeding, grooming, walks, vet visits) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ability to keep caring for and supporting the animal | Yes | Yes | No |
| Each spouse's attachment to the animal | Yes | Yes | No |
| Children's attachment to the animal | Yes | No | Yes |
| Domestic violence between the parties | Yes | No | No |
| History of animal abuse or unsafe conditions | Yes | No | No |
| Who owned the animal first | No | No | Yes |
| Who spent more time with the animal | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Living arrangement and distance between homes | No | No | Yes |
| Vet costs addressed in the order | No | Yes | Yes |
| Joint ownership allowed | No | Yes | Yes |
Delaware adds a rule for the time before a divorce is final. Under its preliminary injunction, a companion animal may not be transferred, concealed, disposed of, or spayed or neutered without both parties' written agreement.
Temporary orders exist in four places. Illinois, California, DC and Rhode Island let a party ask the court who cares for the pet while the case is open.
This report is not legal advice. Family law varies by state and by judge, so speak to a family lawyer licensed where you live.
Pet custody laws compared: joint ownership, temporary orders and service animals
Joint ownership is the clearest split. Six laws allow it in some form: Alaska, Illinois, California, DC, Delaware and Rhode Island.
Maine goes the other way. Its court must award a companion animal to only one party. New York and New Hampshire do not say either way.
New Hampshire changed its law from January 1, 2023. Either party can now ask the court to review and modify the pet part of a settlement.
| State | Joint ownership | Temporary care orders | Service animals excluded | Listed factors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Yes | Not in these sections | Not stated | 0 |
| Illinois | Yes | Yes (5/501(f)) | Yes | 0 |
| California | Yes | Yes | Not stated | 0 |
| New Hampshire | Not stated | Not in these sections | Not stated | 0 |
| Maine | No | Not in these sections | Yes | 7 |
| New York | Not stated | Not in these sections | Not stated | 0 |
| District of Columbia | Yes | Yes | Not stated | 0 |
| Delaware | Yes | Injunction bars transfer | Yes | 3 |
| Rhode Island | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
Pet custody laws in all 50 states and DC
In 42 states, no statute names a pet's well-being or best interest in divorce, based on the National Link Coalition's June 2026 tracker and our own reading. Courts there treat pets under general property rules.
Divorce itself is less common than it was. CDC data put the 2024 divorce rate at 2.3 per 1,000 people in the 45 states and DC that report. It was 4.0 in 2000, when a slightly different set of states reported.
State rates in 2024 ran from 3.8 per 1,000 in Nevada to 0.8 in Louisiana. California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota and New Mexico did not report.
Source: CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, provisional 2024. California does not report divorces. US figure covers the 45 reporting states and DC.
Show the numbers
| Label | per 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 3.1 |
| New Hampshire | 2.5 |
| Maine | 2.5 |
| Delaware | 2.4 |
| New York | 2.3 |
| Rhode Island | 2.3 |
| US (reporting states) | 2.3 |
| District of Columbia | 2.1 |
| Illinois | 1.3 |
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| State | Pet custody law | Year in effect | Divorce rate 2024 (per 1,000) | Divorce rate 2023 (per 1,000) | Population 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No | none | 2.9 | 3.0 | 5,193,088 |
| Alaska | Yes | 2017 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 737,270 |
| Arizona | No | none | 2.1 | 2.0 | 7,623,818 |
| Arkansas | No | none | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3,114,791 |
| California | Yes | 2019 | not reported | not reported | 39,355,309 |
| Colorado | No | none | 2.9 | 2.8 | 6,012,561 |
| Connecticut | No | none | 2.5 | 2.6 | 3,688,496 |
| Delaware | Yes | 2023 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1,059,952 |
| District of Columbia | Yes | 2023 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 693,645 |
| Florida | No | none | 2.8 | 3.0 | 23,462,518 |
| Georgia | No | none | 2.2 | 2.2 | 11,302,748 |
| Hawaii | No | none | not reported | not reported | 1,432,820 |
| Idaho | No | none | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2,029,733 |
| Illinois | Yes | 2018 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 12,719,141 |
| Indiana | No | none | not reported | not reported | 6,973,333 |
| Iowa | No | none | 1.8 | 1.9 | 3,238,387 |
| Kansas | No | none | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2,977,220 |
| Kentucky | No | none | 2.9 | 2.9 | 4,606,864 |
| Louisiana | No | none | 0.8 | 0.9 | 4,618,189 |
| Maine | Yes | 2021 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1,414,874 |
| Maryland | No | none | 2.8 | 2.7 | 6,265,347 |
| Massachusetts | No | none | 1.5 | 1.8 | 7,154,084 |
| Michigan | No | none | 2.2 | 2.2 | 10,127,884 |
| Minnesota | No | none | not reported | not reported | 5,830,405 |
| Mississippi | No | none | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2,954,160 |
| Missouri | No | none | 2.4 | 2.6 | 6,270,541 |
| Montana | No | none | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1,144,694 |
| Nebraska | No | none | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2,018,006 |
| Nevada | No | none | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3,282,188 |
| New Hampshire | Yes | 2019 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1,415,342 |
| New Jersey | No | none | 2.3 | 2.2 | 9,548,215 |
| New Mexico | No | none | not reported | not reported | 2,125,498 |
| New York | Yes | 2021 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 20,002,427 |
| North Carolina | No | none | 2.5 | 2.7 | 11,197,968 |
| North Dakota | No | none | 2.6 | 2.6 | 799,358 |
| Ohio | No | none | 2.3 | 2.4 | 11,900,510 |
| Oklahoma | No | none | 3.3 | 3.3 | 4,123,288 |
| Oregon | No | none | 2.8 | 2.8 | 4,273,586 |
| Pennsylvania | No | none | 2.1 | 2.2 | 13,059,432 |
| Rhode Island | Yes | 2024 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 1,114,521 |
| South Carolina | No | none | 2.2 | 2.2 | 5,570,274 |
| South Dakota | No | none | 2.3 | 2.3 | 935,094 |
| Tennessee | No | none | 2.7 | 2.9 | 7,315,076 |
| Texas | No | none | 1.9 | 2.1 | 31,709,821 |
| Utah | No | none | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3,538,904 |
| Vermont | No | none | 2.3 | 2.4 | 644,663 |
| Virginia | No | none | 2.6 | 2.7 | 8,880,107 |
| Washington | No | none | 2.5 | 2.7 | 8,001,020 |
| West Virginia | No | none | 2.8 | 2.9 | 1,766,147 |
| Wisconsin | No | none | 2.0 | 2.1 | 5,972,787 |
| Wyoming | No | none | 3.2 | 3.4 | 588,753 |
Divorce rates in the pet custody states sit close to the national figure. Illinois had the lowest of them in 2024, at 1.3 per 1,000, and Alaska the highest, at 3.1.
Of the 46 jurisdictions that reported both years, 26 had a 2024 rate above the national 2.3, 6 matched it and 14 were below. Rates fell from 2023 to 2024 in 25 of them and rose in 7.
Among the pet custody states, Delaware fell from 2.6 to 2.4 and New York from 2.4 to 2.3. DC rose from 1.9 to 2.1 and Illinois from 1.2 to 1.3. Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island did not change.
How many divorces involve a dog?
No government source counts divorces that involve a pet. CDC recorded 662,950 divorces and annulments in 2024, in the 45 states and DC that report.
Dogs are common in American homes. The AVMA estimates that 42.6% of US households, or 56.3 million, owned at least one dog in 2025. It counts 87.3 million pet dogs.
We do not multiply these figures together. Households that divorce may differ from the average household, so any such estimate would be a guess.
Source: CDC/NCHS. Excludes California, Indiana and other non-reporting states; the excluded states vary by year, so the series is not fully consistent.
Show the numbers
| Label | thousand |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 944,000 |
| 2001 | 940,000 |
| 2002 | 955,000 |
| 2003 | 927,000 |
| 2004 | 879,000 |
| 2005 | 847,000 |
| 2006 | 872,000 |
| 2007 | 856,000 |
| 2008 | 844,000 |
| 2009 | 840,000 |
| 2010 | 872,000 |
| 2011 | 877,000 |
| 2012 | 851,000 |
| 2013 | 832,157 |
| 2014 | 813,862 |
| 2015 | 800,909 |
| 2016 | 776,288 |
| 2017 | 787,251 |
| 2018 | 782,038 |
| 2019 | 746,971 |
| 2020 | 630,505 |
| 2021 | 695,509 |
| 2022 | 673,989 |
| 2023 | 672,502 |
| 2024 | 662,950 |
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| Year | Divorces and annulments | Rate per 1,000 | States not reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 662,950 | 2.3 | CA HI IN MN NM |
| 2023 | 672,502 | 2.4 | CA HI IN MN NM |
| 2022 | 673,989 | 2.4 | CA HI IN MN NM |
| 2021 | 695,509 | 2.5 | CA HI IN MN NM |
| 2020 | 630,505 | 2.3 | CA HI IN MN NM |
| 2019 | 746,971 | 2.7 | CA HI IN MN NM |
| 2018 | 782,038 | 2.9 | CA HI IN MN NM |
| 2017 | 787,251 | 2.9 | CA HI IN MN NM |
| 2016 | 776,288 | 3.0 | CA GA HI IN MN NM |
| 2015 | 800,909 | 3.1 | CA GA HI IN MN |
| 2014 | 813,862 | 3.2 | CA GA HI IN MN |
| 2013 | 832,157 | 3.3 | CA GA HI IN MN |
| 2012 | 851,000 | 3.4 | CA GA HI IN LA MN |
| 2011 | 877,000 | 3.6 | CA GA HI IN LA MN |
| 2010 | 872,000 | 3.6 | CA GA HI IN LA MN |
| 2009 | 840,000 | 3.5 | see CDC notes |
| 2008 | 844,000 | 3.5 | see CDC notes |
| 2007 | 856,000 | 3.6 | see CDC notes |
| 2006 | 872,000 | 3.7 | see CDC notes |
| 2005 | 847,000 | 3.6 | see CDC notes |
| 2004 | 879,000 | 3.7 | see CDC notes |
| 2003 | 927,000 | 3.8 | see CDC notes |
| 2002 | 955,000 | 3.9 | see CDC notes |
| 2001 | 940,000 | 4.0 | see CDC notes |
| 2000 | 944,000 | 4.0 | see CDC notes |
The 2024 count was 29.8% below the 944,000 of 2000. The rate fell from 4.0 to 2.3 per 1,000 over the same years. See our dog ownership statistics for more on who owns dogs.
Pet custody bills that failed or are pending
No new state has passed a pet custody divorce law since Rhode Island in 2024. Colorado's HB26-1131, introduced on February 4, 2026, is listed as lost on the legislature's site.
The National Link Coalition, a nonprofit network focused on animal abuse and human violence, lists other bills. We checked Colorado and Arizona on their legislature sites and Illinois, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts in news and advocacy reports. Tennessee and New Jersey are as the tracker reports them.
Illinois went further in 2026, but outside divorce. Governor JB Pritzker signed HB 4540 on July 24, 2026, as Public Act 104-0613. It lets courts weigh a pet's well-being when unmarried owners split, from January 1, 2027.
| State | Bill | Status | What it would do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | HB26-1131 (2026) | Lost (confirmed on leg.colorado.gov) | Court authority over custody and care of pet animals in divorce |
| Arizona | SB 1587 (2026) | Held in committee (azleg.gov) | Pet care agreements or orders, with factors for the court |
| Massachusetts | H.1817 and S.1206 | S.1206 reported favorably and sent to Senate Ways and Means (MSPCA, Aug. 2025) | Best interests of the animal in divorce settlements |
| Illinois | HB 4540 (2026) | Signed July 24, 2026 (Public Act 104-0613), in effect Jan. 1, 2027 | Lets courts settle pet possession disputes between unmarried owners, outside divorce |
| Pennsylvania | HB 97 (2025) | Passed the House 121 to 82 in 2025; in Senate Judiciary Committee | Agreements and court factors for companion animals |
| Tennessee | SB 568 and HB 467 (2023) | Died | Sole or joint ownership, considering the animal's well-being |
| New Jersey | S 930 (2020 to 2021) | No outcome listed | Sole or joint custody with the animal's welfare as a primary factor |
Our report on pet rent and deposit laws by state covers another area where state law treats pets differently.
Frequently asked questions
Which states have pet custody laws?
Eight states and DC: Alaska, Illinois, California, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Delaware, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia. They tell divorce courts to weigh a pet's well-being, care or best interest.
How do you get custody of a dog in a divorce?
In the nine jurisdictions with pet custody laws, courts weigh the animal's well-being or best interest. Maine, Delaware and Rhode Island list factors such as who did the daily care. Elsewhere pets are divided as property, so talk to a family lawyer in your state.
Can divorcing couples share custody of a pet?
In six jurisdictions the law allows joint ownership: Alaska, Illinois, California, DC, Delaware and Rhode Island. Maine requires the court to award a companion animal to only one party.
Which state was first to pass a pet custody law?
Alaska. Its law, passed in 2016 as HB 147, took effect on January 17, 2017. It lets courts provide for ownership or joint ownership of an animal, considering its well-being.
What is the newest pet custody law?
Rhode Island's, which took effect on June 26, 2024. It lists 6 factors for sole possession and 4 for joint possession, more than any other state.
Does New York have a pet custody law?
Yes. Since October 25, 2021, New York courts must consider the best interest of a companion animal when awarding possession in a divorce, under Domestic Relations Law Section 236.
Does California have a pet custody law?
Yes. Family Code Section 2605, in effect since January 1, 2019, lets courts assign sole or joint ownership of a pet, taking its care into account. Courts can also order temporary care during the case.
How many people live in states with pet custody laws?
About 78.5 million, or 23.0% of the US population in Census Bureau 2025 estimates. California accounts for just over half of that.
Methodology and limitations
We read each statute from the state's official code site where we could reach it. These were the Maine Revisor of Statutes, Delaware Code Online, California Legislative Information, New York Senate Open Legislation and the D.C. Law Library. Pages were opened on October 11, 2026.
Illinois, New Hampshire and Rhode Island's official code pages did not load from our location. We read archived copies of those official pages, from 2024 and 2025, on the Internet Archive. For Alaska we read the enrolled HB 147 and an archived copy of the Legislature's bill history page.
Effective dates come from the statutes' history notes, session laws and bill histories. Illinois Sections 452, 501 and 502 were read from archived copies of the official code pages, from 2026. Alaska's January 17, 2017 date and October 19, 2016 signing come from the Alaska Legislature's bill history for HB 147. Maine's October 18, 2021 date is the general effective date for laws of the 130th Legislature's First Special Session, from the Laws of Maine 2021. We used the National Link Coalition's June 26, 2026 tracker to find laws and bills, then checked the laws ourselves.
Population shares use Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates. Divorce counts and rates are CDC/NCHS provisional figures for 2000 to 2024.
Sources
- New York Domestic Relations Law Sec. 236, NY Senate Open Legislation, Best interest of a companion animal; S4248 signed Oct. 25, 2021
- California Family Code Sec. 2605, Care of the pet animal; Stats. 2018, ch. 820, in effect Jan. 1, 2019
- Maine Revised Statutes, 19-A Sec. 953(10), Companion animal awarded to one party, 7 factors, PL 2021 c. 285
- Also consulted: Delaware Code, Title 13, ch. 15 (Secs. 1503, 1509, 1513), Delaware Laws, 84 Del. Laws ch. 51 (HB 95), D.C. Code Sec. 16-910, D.C. Law Library, 750 ILCS 5/503(n), Illinois General Assembly (read via Internet Archive copy of March 21, 2025), New Hampshire RSA 458:16-a (read via Internet Archive copy of Dec. 23, 2024), Rhode Island Gen. Laws Sec. 15-5-30 (read via Internet Archive copy of Apr. 1, 2025), Alaska Legislature, enrolled HB 147 (2016), Alaska Legislature, HB 147 bill history (read via Internet Archive copy of Feb. 14, 2026), Colorado General Assembly, HB26-1131 Custody of Pet Animals, Laws of Maine 2021, legislative statistics, 130th Legislature, WBEZ Chicago, July 29, 2026, MSPCA-Angell, Pets in Divorce and Separation (updated Aug. 27, 2025), National Link Coalition, Divorce Custody Laws by State, June 26, 2026 (nonprofit tracker), US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates, CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, marriage and divorce tables 2000 to 2024, AVMA, U.S. pet ownership statistics, 2025 Sourcebook.
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