A couple have proved it's not just children who need co-parenting after a split - by sharing custody of their dog. Ruth Ashby, 38, and her ex, Liam Scadding, 39, welcomed miniature dachshund Mr Plum in 2021.
They got a pet dog after deciding to no longer try for a child together following five miscarriages, so he held a very special place in both of their hearts. After a split last year, Mr Plum now stays with Ruth Monday to Friday and Liam takes weekend custody.
Ruth, a cleaner and kitchen assistant, cooks Mr Plum a cooked dinner of meat and vegetables every night and treats him with dog muffins and healthy snacks. "We stay in touch over the dog - as time has gone on we have gained a friendship, as we didn't didn’t split up over anything bad," she said.
"You can’t explain to a dog like a child that you're not going to see each other when you split. That dog is always going to be waiting for their mum or dad to come back, so seeing them is the best thing, even if it’s just once a week. You wouldn’t stop the other parent seeing their child."
When they amicably split last year, the couple decided Mr Plum would stay with Liam, a van driver, because he was his "favourite". But with Ruth and Mr Plum pining for each other, they decided a co-parenting custody agreement was best.
"I was sobbing because he is my little best mate", said Ruth. "He was pining for me as well, so we just spoke about sharing him. We're both on the same page with it - there's no animosity."
Mr Plum joined the family when he was eight weeks old, when Ruth and Ian bought him together. Although Ruth was previously "terrified" of dogs, she described Mr Plum as being like her baby, alongside her three children - Courtney, 23, Tyler, 18, and Dylan, 12. They now co-parent relatively harmoniously, apart from some disputes over food.
"Liam feeds him junk and he comes back with a bad tummy," said Ruth. "Last week he gave him a KFC! He's very spoilt."
Ruth claims Mr Plum knows when he is due to move between his two homes. "As soon as I pick up his weekend bag he's running around non-stop, he's so excited for me to put his coat on," she said.
A video Ruth, from Walston, West Midlands, shared to her TikTok account about the arrangement now has more than 500,000 views, and followers and friends have said they would also consider co-parenting a pet after a breakup.
"It was so nice to read how much people care about their pets and I was shocked by how many people are now co-parenting animals. It just seems like the right thing to do."
