Delaware’s chancery court(衡平法院), known for presiding over some of America’s most important corporate litigation, recently had to decide a particularly hairy dispute(特别棘手的纠纷（毛发/棘手双关）). An estranged(分居的；疏远的) couple could not decide who would keep their goldendoodle, Tucker, so a judge said ownership would go to the highest bidder. In the end the ex-boyfriend’s bid had more bite(更具分量（咬力/有力的双关）). If the couple had been married, however, things might have ended differently. Since 2023, Delaware has ordered judges to decide the fate of divorcing couples’ pets through a consideration of their “well-being”.
特拉华州的衡平法院，以审理美国一些最重要的公司诉讼而闻名，最近不得不裁决一起特别棘手的纠纷。一对分居的夫妇无法决定谁来抚养他们的金毛贵宾犬塔克，于是法官裁定所有权归出价最高者。最终，前男友的出价更具分量。然而，如果这对夫妇是已婚状态，结果可能会有所不同。自2023年以来，特拉华州要求法官通过考虑宠物的“福祉”来决定离婚夫妇宠物的命运。
In most of America, divorce laws treat animals as property. Yet a few states are starting to break from the pack(脱离群体；与众不同). A bill in Massachusetts would require judges to weigh the “best interests” of companion animals(伴侣动物) in divorce disputes. Pennsylvania’s House passed a bill last year that would classify pets as “living beings that are generally regarded as cherished(珍爱的，珍视的) family members”.
在美国大部分地区，离婚法律将动物视为财产。然而，少数几个州开始脱离这一阵营。马萨诸塞州的一项法案将要求法官在离婚纠纷中权衡伴侣动物的“最佳利益”。宾夕法尼亚州众议院去年通过了一项法案，将宠物归类为“通常被视为珍爱家庭成员的生物”。
If these measures succeed, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania would join the roughly half dozen(大约六个) states that require courts to consider pets’ interests when dividing a household. Laws may become more expansive(广泛的；扩展的), too. Illinois granted pets a special status in divorces in 2018, but in April lawmakers moved to allow long-term partners and roommates to battle for custody(争夺监护权) of shared pets, too.
如果这些措施成功，马萨诸塞州和宾夕法尼亚州将加入大约六个州的行列，要求法院在分割家庭时考虑宠物的利益。法律也可能变得更加广泛。伊利诺伊州在2018年授予了宠物在离婚中的特殊地位，但在今年四月，立法者提出允许长期伴侣和室友也为共享宠物的监护权而争斗。