Argentina court issues custody ruling for pet dogs

A court in Argentina has issued a joint custody ruling in a groundbreaking case of two dogs whose owners have divorced, the former couple's lawyer said Tuesday, Oct. 18.

In the first case of its kind in Argentina, a family court in San Isidro in the Buenos Aires region determined custody and visitation rights for canines Kiara, 9, and Popeye, 6.

They are the dogs of Amorina Abascoy, 47, and her ex-husband Emmanuel Medina, 42, who were married for 15 years and had no children.

Under the ruling, Popeye will live with Abascoy and Kiara with Medina, their lawyer Brian Knobel told reporters. They will sometimes swap homes.

Other details of the ruling were not divulged, including how it deals with disagreements over the dogs' feeding regime.

Abascoy insists on a healthy diet while Medina feeds Kiara empanadas, according to Knobel.

In 2015, an Argentine court ruled that an orangutan named Sandra was entitled to "non-human" basic rights and was being unlawfully held at a zoo.

She was later moved to a sanctuary in the United States. (AFP)