It's always a cool thing when two of our contributors can match up and share some thoughts on their shows! It's pretty cool too when they are neighbors and know each other in the real world too. Shon Cook and Jodi Jarvis-Therrian from Dog Blessed are just that pair. Jodi is all about the love of pets and living their best lives. Shon loves her pets and the enrichment they bring to her life. Pets are an elemental part of so many peoples world, but sometimes the people world doesn't work out and what to do with the family pet is a problem.
Shon is diving in to what happens if the family pet is caught in the middle of a custody battle. It happens. It could be the dog or the cat. Shon has even had the argument pop up over a snake. This is a huge issue for anyone. It's a bigger issue for the courts and here's the Cliff's Notes version of why. Pets are part of your family, in your eyes. To the court, and this is gruff... they are property and nothing more. A judge has to follow property guidelines and make decisions based on that. Who's been responsible for the majority of care, purchase of the animal etc. Who loves the animal more isn't their first concern. Hard. The remarkable thing is that Shon not only offers the traditional litigation stuff should it be needed, but in a circumstance like this...the mediation that's offered at the Shon Cook Law Offices is a much more effective and reasonable approach. Courts have to take the decisions out of the hands of those seeing an answer. Mediation keeps that control between the two trying to work things out and effective solutions are made.
There are some variables in this, like any other legality stuff. If the animals are pets, but also a business too....it's a little different. If the animals are BIG business.....it's a whole different story. Shon explains it all, right down to gerbils and hamsters on this weeks edition of Saturdays with Shon on the Muskegon Channel.
It sure seems to be one of those issues that cooler heads and common sense should work as hard as they can to settle as opposed to a judge. Pets teach love. Like kids, if things fall a part it's no fault of theirs and the upheaval and change can be hard. Mediation would be an ideal way to figure it all out over the pets should the need arise and calling Shon is the first and best step. 231-894-0909.
