A study has found that 15 per cent of Brits are happy to admit that they love their pet more than their S.O.
The albeit unsurprising survey of 1,254 of people in relationships across the UK questioned the participants on just how much their feline and canine friends (and all the species in between) mean to them.
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And 15 per cent said they loved their pet more than their partner. A third of people put their pet and their partner on the same level, while only a further third of people were willing to say they loved their partner more than their pet.
Carried out by Maguire Family Law, the research comes in light of the ever increasing numbers of divorces struggling to settle who gets to keep the pet at the end.
The study also found that only one in 20 marriages have a pet-nup in case things don't go how they planned.
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Researchers describe as pet-nup as "a formal agreement between a couple setting out what will happen to any pets they have together if they separate in the future, including who gets to keep and look after the pet".
James Maguire, managing director of Maguire Family Law, explains: "We're seeing a growing number of divorce and separation cases where people are arguing over care arrangements of their dogs, cats, horses and other pets.
"Although our survey showed a third of pet owners in relationships think animals should be treated the same as children when it comes to breakups, unfortunately the law doesn't agree.
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"Obviously, the emotional attachment to pets can be huge, which is why we see so much upset over who gets to keep them when a couple breaks up.
"People may find if they draw up a pet-nup, there may be issues around its enforceability if there's a dispute, but we find if a couple agrees matters up front they usually stick to this."
Featured Image Credit: UnsplashTopics: Life News, Pets, Real, Sex & Relationships