He Keeps The House, She Keeps The Dog
At SuretyNow, many of us are pet lovers in relationships — our lunch conversations often drift from pets to partners to insurance. So we decided to put data behind our curiosity: we surveyed 1,000 Americans who live with a partner and co-own at least one pet to see how couples really handle pet ownership.
This isn’t a niche question. 71% of U.S. households, about 94 million homes, now have pets, with dogs in nearly half of homes and cats in about a third. Americans also spent a staggering $152 billion on pets in 2024, a number that only continues to climb. With pets so firmly woven into family life, what happens when relationships unravel becomes a pressing cultural question.
In short, men and women disagree sharply on who pays, who fights, and who would stay in a relationship just for the pet, yet both sides agree on one thing: pets aren’t property, they’re family.
Money and Responsibility
Men more often claim the financial burden for pets. Over half of men (51.2%) say they primarily pay vet bills, compared to 35.9% of women. Women lean toward even splits (45.2% vs. 34.5% for men).
When it comes to conflict, men are also more likely to report frequent fights. 18.9% of men say pet-related arguments happen weekly or more, versus only 11.9% of women. Women were more likely to say they argue just a few times a year.
Staying for the Pet
Would people stay in a relationship longer than they want, just to keep access to a pet?
Here the gender split is sharp: 37.9% of men said “Yes, definitely,” compared to only 21.4% of women. Women were more likely to hedge with “Yes, maybe,” while both genders had a significant share who flatly said “No.”
Custody Trade-Offs
This is where the strongest contrasts emerge.
- Pet vs. Car: Nearly 60% of women said they’d fight harder for the pet, while less than half of men agreed.
- Pet vs. Savings: Both genders leaned toward savings, but women (38.1%) were more willing to prioritize pets than men (31.1%).
- Pet vs. House: Again, women sided with pets (57.1%) while men leaned house (67.3%).
The car and house splits are especially striking — women consistently choose pets, while men choose property.
Shared Values
Despite their differences, men and women share common ground when it comes to pets. Both support custody-style laws that consider the best interest of the animal in court. Many say they’d sign a “pet-nup” to settle custody ahead of time. And when landlords ban pets, most would rather move or secretly keep the animal than give it up — proof that for both men and women, pets are treated as family, not property.
Should pets receive custody-style consideration (best interest of the animal) in divorce?
- Strongly support
- Somewhat support
- Neutral
- Somewhat oppose
- Strongly oppose
Would you sign a “pet-nup” (agreement on pet custody in case of breakup)?
- Yes
- No
- Not sure
If your landlord or building banned pets, what would you do?
- Keep the pet and find a different place (even if more expensive)
- Move in and hide the pet
- Rehome the pet
- Not sure
Methodology
All results in this report come from an online survey commissioned by SuretyNow. The survey was conducted last week with a nationally distributed sample of 1,000 Americans aged 18 and older.
To qualify, respondents had to indicate that they currently live with a romantic partner (married or cohabiting) and that they co-own at least one pet with their partner. Of the 1,000 qualified respondents, 580 identified as male and 420 as female.
The survey was distributed online and respondents were randomly selected from a large consumer panel. Screening questions ensured only eligible participants continued. All respondents were asked to answer truthfully and to the best of their ability.
With a sample size of 1,000, the survey carries a margin of error of approximately ±3% at a 95% confidence level.
