When our marriage ended in 1999, we had a house and three dogs. The house was sold and we agreed that the dogs should live with me because I was working from home but my husband had a full time job away from home. As you can imagine, he was very happy with that solution, even though taking care of three dogs put a strain on my finances at the time.

After my ex-husband found himself a new apartment, he told me that he wanted to be in contact with the dogs and take them for a walk two or three times a week.

This was not good news because she didn’t want to see him almost every day! I mean, when you break up, you really don’t want to see your ex that often, do you?

Anyway, we had agreed to part as friends and the dogs still loved him very much. So how could I refuse your request? We finally agreed that he would come pick them up on Tuesdays and Fridays for two hours.

The dogs enjoyed their walks and in the end I was quite happy to have two dog-free afternoons when I didn’t have to take them for a long walk.

The agreement ended when it became clear that for financial reasons I had to hand over one of the dogs and he took it.

Since then, many people have asked me if it would be good for their dogs if their ex-partner still took them out from time to time. I even know of a couple who agreed that her dog should spend a week with him and a week with her.

The question is: Can a dog cope with two primary caregivers who don’t live together or is a dog someone who needs to be attached to one person exclusively?

Does it hurt a dog if a person with whom he used to share his life takes him for a walk?

I do not think so. I’m sure a dog benefits when he can maintain his relationship with his “other” partner. After all, it’s not the dog who parted ways with his mistress or master, it’s the mistress and master who decided to go their separate ways.

If your ex wants to see the dog, there’s nothing wrong with that idea from your dog’s point of view.

Whether you like it or not is another thing.

Sometimes being generous is a good thing; On the other hand, if you really hate your ex, it may not be such a good idea after all.

The advice I give my clients is this:

If both you and your ex-partner are certain that all you want to do is take care of the dog on a regular basis, it may be worth a try.

If, on the other hand, either of you is trying to avoid the final breakup or reboot through the dog, it may not be such a good idea after all because it means the dog is just being used as an excuse not to. . accept their mutual decision.

Whichever way you decide, remember: neither children nor dogs should become weapons with each other when it comes to a divorce or breakup of a relationship.