I took custody of the dog in an ugly breakup. Was I wrong for what I did?

My ex and I got a golden retriever puppy together in the middle of Covid. It was perfect timing because I was working from home so I could keep an eye on her, take her out frequently, and work on training. I taught her everything she knows.

I would say I was her primary caregiver, and my name was on all of the receipts and her vet paperwork. This is important.

When we broke up he made it clear that he thought splitting custody would be the best. He wanted do two weeks on/two weeks off.

I was planning on moving back home post breakup, which would make it a 3 hour drive between us. I was simply not interested in continuing to have him in my life for the next ten years. The breakup was messy and not on good terms at all.

He told me that if I didn’t want to split custody that he would then be taking the dog solely. Things were getting ugly at home and we were still living together while I was looking for a new apartment. We were beginning to hate eachother.

So basically I realized the only way I could keep the dog is to basically just go ahead and take her. So I left one day while he was at work. He came home and we were both gone. I feel cruel for the way I did it…

I feel horrible about how this all went down but I felt like I had no other choice. My ex was devastated. His mother called me and said she had never seen him so upset, that he was sobbing. He promised me he was going to sue me for custody, but I think he realized he had no grounds and eventually texted me to let me know that he wouldn’t be suing me, and that the dog is mine now, best of luck, etc.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? The guilt of everything is eating me alive, but I feel I had no other choice. I also worry about how my dog is dealing with this, if she misses him too. I’d like to hear some of your experiences with dog custody issues. Thanks in advance!

TL:DR One day I just up and left with the dog and moved to another state. My ex is devastated and wanted to split custody. Was I wrong for what I did?

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