For those who want a dog, but can’t have one because they don’t have the time or money to care of one, there may be a solution: Why not share custody of a K9 with your neighbor?

More and more neighbors are sharing ownership of dogs–they split veterinary and food bills and have regular days  in which the dog lives with each family. The households agree on rules to follow with the dog–walking schedules, not feeding the dog table scraps–in order to help keep a common structure in place for the dog.

Critics believe that such arrangements can be harmful to a dog’s social development, since they cannot properly bond with their “pack.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal

K9 Commentary:

I’m all for getting one more dog out of the shelter and into a home, but I wonder if “splitting” a dog between two households–two different packs, essentially– is a good idea for the long-term mental health of a dog.

Another thing: What happens if one of the neighbors moves away? Who takes the dog?

Soon enough, we may start seeing made-for-TV movies on Animal Planet about messy dog custody cases.