Does the ability to take care of a pet factor into the amount of support or the type of residence where people live after the divorce?

Let me start by stepping onto my soap box for a moment to complain about how inadequate child support almost always is and how excessive spousal support often is. With that said, the normal guidelines don't seem to encompass even the regular and customary expenses for human beings, so it would stand to reason that the extras such as pets would not make it into the budget, at least not the one that the state has cobbled together. If you have extra expenses such as a pet or any other, I advocate using a "needs-based" approach to determining spousal support and child support. Figure out what money is available between the two spouses and determine how it should be allocated to each of them according to their needs. Particularly if the kids have become attached to their pets, keeping those pets should remain a high priority as it relates to the stability of the kids. Yes, it costs money to have a pet, and yes, it means you can't be as picky about where you live and you may spend more for a pet-friendly dwelling, but you owe your kids a reasonable continuation of the lives they always knew.