A dog sparked a tug-of-war courtroom battle between a divorced Guangzhou couple recently.
   
The man, surnamed Liu, bought a pet dog several years ago and the childless couple raised the dog like a member of the family.
   
When the wife wanted a divorce, both parties doggedly clung to ownership rights for the pet after all the other property disputes were settled.
   
Liu insisted he should be the owner since he bought the dog but his wife said Liu was so occupied with work that he literally had no time and energy to take good care of the pet. The husband said his jobless wife could not afford to give the dog a "quality" life with a limited income.
   
The couple have been separated for a month and Liu, who is temporarily in the custody of the animal, refused to let the woman see the dog when she visited recently.
   
A pet is not classed as special property under Chinese law and a lawyer said the court would have to make a ruling if the couple couldn't compromise. The dog may go to the party who can give it better care with the other having to pay a compensation equal to the market price of the dog.
   
"It was impossible to include the rights of visiting the dog in the verdict," he said, as the state law did not have to satisfy every individual need.

(Shenzhen Daily April 11, 2005)