While not all celebrity relationships are meant to last, many exes have remained friendly in order to keep their pets in each other’s lives.
“We’re hoping sometime in the next couple months [that] we’ll be able to get [our house] listed and sold,” Katie Maloney exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2022 of her new normal with her ex-husband, Tom Schwartz, with whom she shares dogs Gordo and Butter. “We’re kind of in the process of figuring out our next moves of where we’re gonna live and what that’s gonna be like.”
She continued: “We wanna stay in the same area because we both have the dogs and we’re gonna like split custody of that. So it’s important to be near each other [in] that regard.”
Maloney and Schwartz — who tied the knot in 2016 — announced their separation in March 2022 after more than a decade together. They finalized their divorce in October 2022.
Scroll below to find out which other stars share their beloved pets after a breakup:
Shantel VanSanten and Victor Webster
The actors finalized their divorce in July 2024 with a custody agreement for their pets put into place. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Webster will have custody of their dog, Nova, and VanSanten will be able to visit the pup for long periods of time.
However, if VanSanten is with Nova for more than three weeks, she must pay Webster $10,000 per day if she keeps the dog.
Florence Pugh and Zach Braff
Pugh confirmed in August 2022 that she had split from Braff after three years together. The twosome remained on amicable terms, even sharing custody of dog Billie.
While speaking with Vogue Australia in October 2023, Pugh confessed that she hadn’t seen the pup in six months. “She’s been with Dad,” she said of Braff. “I’m so excited [to see her]. I woke up this morning, you know when you have a date? And you’re like, eeee! I was like, eeee!”
Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jason Tartick
The Bachelor Nation stars adopted golden retrievers Ramen and Pinot ahead of their 2021 engagement. They announced their split in August 2023 but remained committed to sharing the pups.
“Our dogs will continue to be cared for together as brothers. While their humans are no longer romantically involved, we will love and take care of them together,” Bristowe and Tartick wrote in an Instagram statement.
One year later, Bristowe decided to stop splitting custody after the dogs appeared “anxious” going between houses.
“What I realized in sharing custody with the dogs is that they get very scared and very uncomfortable and very anxious not knowing where they’re going and when they’re coming back,” she said on a September 2024 episode of her “Off the Vine” podcast. “This is not personal to anybody [and] it happens when they’re in one house and when they’re in my house.”
Bristowe noted that she was willing to let Tartick continue to visit Ramen and Pinot.
“I’m doing what’s best for the dogs,” Bristowe said. “He is more than welcome to see them if he is in town for the weekend or wants to take them for a walk. I would never keep them from anyone.”
Brittany Snow and Tyler Stanaland
The Pitch Perfect alum and the Selling the O.C. star, who announced their separation in September 2022, revealed that they are coparenting their pup. “We started this journey as best friends and our relationship will continue to be a priority not only for us but for our dog Charlie,” Snow shared via Instagram. “We sincerely appreciate your support and ask for privacy as we navigate this new chapter.”
Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney
Maloney, who filed for divorce in March 2022, planned to live near the TomTom cofounder to share custody of their pooches.
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
The “Summer of Love” crooner and Cabello adopted canine Tarzan in November 2020, nearly one year before they called it quits. The duo were spotted together, per footage obtained by TMZ, in January 2022 while walking the pooch.
Jason Oppenheim and Mary Fitzgerald
Niko and Zelda make frequent cameos on Selling Sunset, often stealing focus during staff meetings at the real estate office.
“He’s such a great guy, and he’s such a great dad to our puppies,” Fitzgerald — who married Romain Bonnet in March 2018 — exclusively told Us in April 2022 of Oppenheim, whom she briefly dated before Selling Sunset’s 2019 debut. “You can just see how much love he has when he actually wraps his head around something. He never wanted dogs, either. He was annoyed that I had a dog, and now, like, our dogs are his life.”
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth
The former spouses — who wed in December 2018 — announced their split in August 2019, intending to keep their menagerie of pets in one another’s lives.
“Liam and Miley have agreed to separate at this time,” Cyrus’ rep told Us in a statement at the time. “Ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what’s best while they both focus on themselves and careers. They still remain dedicated parents to all of their animals they share while lovingly taking this time apart. Please respect their process and privacy.”
Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston
The Morning Show alum married Theroux in 2015 before eventually announcing their separation in February 2018. The exes, who shared White Shepherd Dolly, came together in July 2019 to mourn the pup’s death.
Rory McIlroy and Holly Sweeney
“I took all the DVDs. He got to keep the dogs. It’s unfair for them to run around in an apartment rather than however many acres of land there is. I have visitation rights,” Sweeney told Irish Central in January 2012 of her breakup with the professional golfer. “They got their Christmas dinner so I got a little picture.”