Lawyer Charles Gillam has a word of advice for new parents of fur children: “Even if you don’t look at the other property – you let the court sort that out – look at the pet. It’s not going to stop the heartache, but at least there won’t be a fight.”

With a boom in pet uptake since the pandemic hit last year, it would be reasonable to expect a commensurate rise in custody dog fights (and they do mostly involve canines) when relationships go sour. And with some breeds of designer dogs fetching well above $7000, it can be a big financial investment, as well as an emotional one.