A new Illinois law will allow a judge to decide pet custody disputes between two people who decide to split up, but share a pet together.
Called Rosie’s Law, HB4540, also known as the Companion Animal Custody Equity Act, “provides that in a possession dispute involving a companion animal, a court may consider the well-being of the companion animal regardless of the marital status of the parties.”
The judge can require certain caregiving orders, including things like limited visitation.
For older animals – those older than 10 years – the court may consider factors like “continuity of environment, emotional stability, stress minimization, and maintenance of established routines.”
The law was named after a dog named Rosie.
“After a separation, Rosie was removed from the daily relationship she had known with her primary caregiver for years. When her well-being and caregiving history were brought before a court, Illinois law offered no real place for those truths to be considered,” a website dedicated to the bill states.
Tameer Siddiqui said she was Rosie’s primary caregiver for years, and when her long engagement ended she remained in her care — until March 2025, when “she was removed.”
“My requests for her return, mediation, visitation, and continued contact did not reunite us,” Siddiqui wrote on her website. “This story can be told without turning anyone into a public character. Its focus is Rosie: the life she lived, the relationships she formed, the care she depended upon, and the legal system that had no meaningful way to consider her wellbeing.”
Rosie’s law is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/WoAex7I
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