It was the name of a TV series on ITV last year about a couple going through divorce, with the notion of which one of them keeps the dog. Dogs aside, the question of who gets what in a divorce is always the most contentious of problems. Married couples fight over money, assets, furniture and generally everything they can.

It often gets quite bitter!

During my divorce the question of who keeps the dog wasn’t really an issue as the wife actually got rid of the dog before everything kicked off, in readiness for a divorce. That was planning ahead. I got home to find the dog had disappeared, and had been given to some family who lived at the seaside… a likely story.

The question was more about who gets the furniture, who gets the wardrobes, the sofa, the dining room table and the recliner chairs that were bought for watching TV?

Obviously this question couldn’t be easily answered, and despite a financial settlement in court dictating where the furniture (and not to mention the house) would remain, some of it still managed to find its way off to who knows where. Most likely sold on or given to friends.

To cut it short, divorce is a very messy business and even a court ruling and agreement can’t force anyone to abide by it.

Clive Bellmore