In determining who should be awarded custody, the court may want to consider which party has paid attention to the animal's basic daily needs (food, shelter, physical care, exercise,
grooming, flea control); who takes the animal to the veterinarian; who provides for social interactions (in the case
of dogs) with other
dogs and / or with people; who maintains appropriate supervision to assure that state and local
regulations are complied with (licensing, not allowing the
dog to run free and protecting against circumstances that would endanger her life or health); and who has the greatest ability to financially support the animal.